Roger Daltry of mod rock band The Who screamed “We won’t get fooled again” in its lengthy and punchy signature song. But it appears we have. Almost everything that those on the sceptical side of the Covid narrative recognise about the hyped-up nature of the recent pandemic will see parallels in Overturning Zika: the pandemic that never was by Randall S. Bock.
Bock is a U.S. physician who has long harboured scepticism about something that most of us had completely forgotten: the Zika ‘pandemic’ of 2015 in Brazil. Like COVID-19, this was accompanied by dire predictions of deaths in the millions and, parallel to the ridiculous and extraordinary locking down and social distancing mandates of 2020-2021, Zika was accompanied by ludicrous suggestions that women should not have babies and even abort the ones they were carrying. Some did.
Zika is a mosquito-borne virus that is present in South America. According to Wikipedia, it can be associated with the birth defect microcephaly, whereby a child is born with a smaller than normal brain. One source, GAVI (‘The Vaccine Alliance‘) claimed in 2022 that one third of babies exposed pre-birth to Zika developed microcephaly. However, it then proceeded to say there is a “continued need to develop a safe and effective vaccine for preventing Zika virus infections during pregnancy”. It has a vested interest in vaccine production and distribution.
It is worth pointing out that the author of this book is not a tin-foil hat wearing virus sceptic, ‘anti-vaxxer’ or conspiracy theorist. He does not deny the existence of the Zika virus, or specifically deny its potential to cause microcephaly and does not ascribe the manufacturing of the Zika pandemic to evil forces determined to reduce the population of the world. Instead, he examines the evidence as it stands, contextualises this within the scientific paradigm and examines some of the social and media forces at work which fan the flames. Thus, a smouldering fire of (misplaced) suspicion that there was an outbreak of Zika-related microcephaly in Brazil soon became a forest fire of panic across the country and elsewhere in the region.
The simple facts are that a case of microcephaly was attributed to Zika without a shred of evidence that Zika was the cause. Microcephaly occurs in possibly one in every 800-5,000 babies. If you go out armed with only a hammer, everything looks like a nail and other cases of microcephaly were soon identified and misattributed to Zika. In 2019, when Zika was now a distant blip in the rear-view mirror, Bock tried to publish a short review demonstrating that the accompanying pandemic had been a mistake, but major medical journals refused to publish it. This was not because it was inaccurate or that what was contained was not fairly common knowledge among the medical community, but in case it undermined public trust in public health initiatives related to Covid. This is what is now referred to as ‘malinformation’; something that is true but uncomfortable for those controlling the narrative.
The story, briefly, is that Zika was considered the cause of a cluster of cases of microcephaly. This was done against a background of poor baseline information about the extent of microcephaly and without specific laboratory testing for the presence of Zika. A purported Zika test had never been standardised and Zika and its close relative dengue fever are almost identical genetically and almost impossible to distinguish. Scepticism about the existence of Zika, based on the poor science applied to its characterisation was quashed and likewise scepticism about the link between it and microcephaly.
In the sceptical free zone that was allowed to exist around the Zika microcephaly story, local, national, regional and international panic ensued. Pregnant women lived in fear that their babies were going to be born brain damaged, the WHO issued travel advice related to the 2016 Brazil Olympics and NPR, never known to let a good pandemic go to waste, reported fears amongst athletes and staff at the games over Zika infection.
However, when accurate Zika testing became available in 2016, the purported link between the virus and microcephaly failed to hold. Zika-related microcephaly, now described as ‘rare’, just disappeared. The only reasonable conclusion, in the absence of a vaccine or additional preventive measures, was that it probably did not exist. In the meantime, pregnant women had been smothering themselves in insecticides potentially harmful to their unborn babies and the family planning lobby had got to work with increased calls for ‘net zero’ related to birth rates.
Bock traces the main characters involved from the group of physicians who initially raised the alarm, through incompetent national health officials up to the ubiquitous eminence grise, without whom no pandemic is complete, Anthony Fauci who said all the usual things about vaccines and public health measures. In this case, rather than being a driving force, Fauci jumped on the Zika bandwagon. What had started as a cock-up soon became a conspiracy. Fauci used Zika to “wage war” on pandemics. We now know what he meant.
The book is written in a very familiar and even colloquial style. It is reasonably easy to read and not too heavy, within the text, on scientific jargon. It does suffer, however, from a somewhat samizdat style of presentation and there is a great deal of repetition of what the appropriate scientific procedures should have been. That said, the opening synopsis is very helpful, makes all the main points and stands alone. The accompanying diagrams and figures are far too busy, poorly produced, and not signposted properly. On the whole, some ruthless editing may have helped to produce a more concise text. Nevertheless, this is a book that should be read.
Randall S. Bock (2023) Overturning Zika: the pandemic that never was. Drivestraight Publishing, Istanbul, is available to purchase on Amazon.
Dr. Roger Watson is Academic Dean of Nursing at Southwest Medical University, China. He has a PhD in biochemistry.
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I for one am sick and tired of this ‘reclaiming our lost freedoms’ crap spouted by politicians like Hancock. They were not lost, they were taken away by this mendacious government. We should never forget or forgive that.
Hear, hear! Our freedom is our inalienable right – it’s our liberty that’s been removed. “Take your freedoms back” always irks me when it’s chanted at rallies – I never gave mine away.
Oh dear, ‘sick’ AND ‘tired: you must have a bad case of covid!
GFY and your testing Wancock.
“Despite this success ….”
FFS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Indeed. I come to LS to get away from the lugenpresse…
before freedoms can be restored the population MUST adopt the bio security state… this is what is happening now people… get ready for it
nobody is getting out of this without a fight… this is the new normal they were prepping us for
Since the vaccines are clearly not the route out of this nightmare why are we celebrating that 6 million people have been conned into having an experimental jab that come Autumn may make them chronically sick or kill them?
https://videopress.com/v/GlfqskjO thats why
Who cares.
Sorry for the Kevin the Teenager response, but I really feel it’s all this deserves.
It feels like the politicians have lost their minds, the coercion and comments from them, especially Hancock are outrageous now. Maybe they see their plan falling apart
Do you really think that Handcock has a mind? His two degrees demonstrate a functional intelligence in the narrow field he studied, but outside of that he is as thick as 2 planks. To have a mind you need emotional intelligence and he has none of that; he is only concerned with keeping his job. In the group of incompetents we have in Government he and Gove are the two worst
If only.
I have a letter from NHS Scotland telling me that I have an appointment to be given the vaccine. I have no recollection of asking for this. Who is responsible for deciding whether I should have any form of medical treatment?
I had one letter and 5 texts, all ignored lol.
My plumber said he wasn’t keen on the idea but did it anyway. Probably speaking for 95% of UK population. God help us.
So at what point does Handjob say we would go back to normal if only those anti vaxxers would just take the experimental vaccine like the rest of us. Sorry, until then your life is going to suck until we forcibly inject them or relocate to this lovely new holiday camp called Treblinka. Being true democrats we’ll let the vaccinated decide the option by a vote lol.
It’s all gone the way I suspected it might to date and I fully expect to lose my job and livelihood in the not so distant future, swiftly followed by a cell and then possibly a firing squad or whatever method is cheapest and efficient.
We’re at the point where people have to choose between what is right and what is easy. I really don’t see many opting for the former, especially with that ever elusive carrot being dangled in front of them. If the worst should happen i’ll die happy in the knowledge I won’t be around for what comes next !
Not much faith left. Not going quietly however, that’s what keeps me going more than anything.
If they were so sure of themselves they would lock all us non vaxxed in a secure compound, like a leper colony, until we all give each other the Covid from which 99%+ will emerge unscathed. Sorted.
NC – I share your feelings on the blame being gradually shifted onto those who won’t take the vaccine. I have been fully expecting this and suspect it won’t be long before comments turn to “regrettably the slower than expected vaccine take up is going to mean that we will have to remain cautious and will impact the speed at which we lift restrictions”. With ‘cases’ and deaths now plummeting, to the point where covid has virtually disappeared, the search for new excuses is undoubtedly now a matter of priority. The new requirement for mass testing openly reflects their desperation to maintain high case numbers and public fear levels. Putting the blame on the ‘anti-vaxxers’ is an easy score as they know they will get the full support of those who have had the jab and who already view the unvaccinated with suspicion and open disdain. I have no intention of taking the vaccine but am uneasily aware of the unpleasant pressure which I will face over the coming months. Sadly, it has already started from within my own family.
“Britain has passed another milestone in its vaccine rollout with six million people now fully vaccinated against Covid. Almost 32 million have also received their first dose. Sky News has the story.”
How many people have been killed by the vaccine?
That would be a good piece of investigative journalism.
32 million genetically modified Brits.
I wonder how many of them understand this fact? 0.03% of them?
https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/13.0.1/svg/1f44f.svg We Did It https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/13.0.1/svg/1f44f.svg We Beat Europe #1 Now Free Us https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/13.0.1/svg/1f92c.svg This Is Biggest Story https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/13.0.1/svg/1f1ec-1f1e7.svg NO MSM Covering Stats!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NsaUH9g0XmM
Anti Lockdown Newspaper: https://thelightpaper.co.uk/
Stand in South Hill Park Bracknell every Sunday 10am meet fellow lockdown sceptics
We Did It We Beat Europe
This Is Biggest Story
NO MSM Covering Stats!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NsaUH9g0XmM
Anti Lockdown Newspaper: https://thelightpaper.co.uk/
Stand in South Hill Park Bracknell every Sunday 10am meet fellow lockdown sceptics
Six million people with nothing to fear from me.
From a few years ago:
https://www.brighteon.com/e6c842d1-0388-4dc0-8fd9-c84f23f735c2
Song is called Vaccine Zombie.