Letter to the Editor
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2024. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Methodol. Sep 20, 2024; 14(3): 92512
Published online Sep 20, 2024. doi: 10.5662/wjm.v14.i3.92512
Reckoning with COVID-19 denial: Brazil's exemplary model for global response
Heslley Machado Silva
Heslley Machado Silva, Department of Science and Education, University Center of Formiga and State University of Minas Gerais, Minas Gerais 35570000, Brazil
Author contributions: The author took part in all stages of the text's development, conception and writing.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The author declares no conflict-of-interest.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Heslley Machado Silva, PhD, Postdoc, Professor, Department of Science and Education, University Center of Formiga and State University of Minas Gerais, Av Doutor Arnaldo Sena 328, Minas Gerais 35570000, Brazil. heslley@uniformg.edu.br
Received: January 28, 2024
Revised: February 15, 2024
Accepted: May 8, 2024
Published online: September 20, 2024
Processing time: 148 Days and 21.6 Hours
Core Tip

Core Tip: Amidst the tumultuous landscape of misinformation during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, a Federal Court in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, has set a precedent by holding a group of doctors advocating unproven early treatments accountable for collective moral and health damages. The decision underscores the imperative to address the dissemination of false scientific information, emphasizing the need to prosecute not only medical practitioners but also those who exploit their social respectability to fuel anti-vaccine movements. The unfolding legal actions signal a critical juncture for justice and accountability, prompting reflection on the broader repercussions of scientific denialism on public health.