There is no loneliness epidemic – so why do we keep talking as if there is?
Most people experience periods of loneliness, isolation or solitude in their lives. But these are different things, and the proportion of people feeling lonely is stable over time. So why do we keep talking about an epidemic of loneliness?
Before the Covid pandemic, several studies showed that rates of loneliness were stable in England, the US, Finland, Sweden and Germany, among other places, over recent decades. While Covid changed many things, loneliness levels quickly returned to pre-pandemic levels. In 2018, 34% of US adults aged 50 to 80 years reported a lack of companionship 'some of the time' or 'often'. That proportion rose to 42% during the pandemic but fell to 33% in 2024.
That's a lot of lonely people, but it is not an epidemic. In some countries, such as Sweden, loneliness is in decline – at least among older adults.
Despite these statistics, the idea that loneliness is increasing is pervasive. For example in 2023, the US surgeon general warned about an 'epidemic of loneliness and isolation'. The UK even has a government minister with an explicit responsibility for addressing loneliness.
Loneliness is a problem, even if it is not an epidemic. Social connection is important for physical and mental health. Many people feel lonely in a crowd or feel crowded when alone. In 2023, the World Health Organization announced a 'Commission on Social Connection'. The WHO is right: we need to reduce loneliness in our families, communities and societies.
But the idea that loneliness is an 'epidemic' is misleading and it draws us away from sustainable solutions, rather than towards them. It suggests that loneliness is a new problem (it is not), that it is increasing (it is not), that it is beyond our control (it is not), and that the only appropriate reaction is an emergency one (it is not).
In the short term, loneliness is an undesirable psychological state. In the long term, it is a risk factor for chronic ill health.
Loneliness is not a sudden crisis that needs a short-term fix. It is a long-term challenge that requires a sustained response. An emergency reaction is not appropriate – a measured response is. Initiatives by the US surgeon general and WHO are welcome, but they should be long-term responses to an enduring problem, not emergency reactions to an 'epidemic'.
Medicalising normal human experience
Conceptual clarity is essential if true loneliness is to be addressed. Pathologising all instances of being alone risks medicalising normal human experiences such as solitude. Some people feel alive only in crowds, but others were born lighthouse keepers. In a hyper-connected world, loneliness should be solvable, but solitude must be treasured.
So, if there is no loneliness epidemic, why do we keep talking as if there is? Media framing of the issue and the human tendency to panic reinforce each other. We click into news stories based on subjective resonance rather than objective evidence.
Human behaviour is shaped primarily by feelings, not facts. We dramatise, panic, and overstate negative trends. If trends are positive, we focus on minor counter-trends, ignore statistics and make things up.
In the case of loneliness, the problem is real, even if the 'epidemic' is not. Loneliness is part of the human condition, but alleviating each other's loneliness is also part of who we are – or who we can become.
Addressing loneliness is not about solving a short-term problem or halting an 'epidemic'. It means learning to live with each other in new, more integrated ways that meet our emotional needs. Loneliness is not the problem. It is a consequence of living in societies that are often disconnected and fragmented.
The solution? We cannot change the essentials of human nature – and nor should we try. But we can be a little kinder to ourselves, speak to each other a little more, and cultivate compassion for ourselves and other people.
We need to connect with each other better and more. We can. We should. We will. DM
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IOL News
20 hours ago
- IOL News
The six critical actions Africa must take to stop the deadly trade in fake, substandard medicines
Every year, 122,000 children in sub-Saharan Africa die from preventable causes linked to substandard medicines, writes Professor Eliangiringa Kaale. Professor Kaale delivered the keynote address to the AUDA-NEPAD Working Group on Substandard and Falsified Medical Products in Addis Ababa. Image: Supplied The time for half-measures and empty promises has passed. African governments must take immediate, decisive action to combat the proliferation of substandard and falsified medical products that are killing our children and bleeding our economies dry. Every year, 122,000 children under the age of five in sub-Saharan Africa die needlessly from substandard or falsified anti-malaria medication. Let that number sink in. These are not statistics - they are our children, our future, lost to a preventable crisis that demands urgent action. The World Health Organization has directly linked 300 deaths in The Gambia, Indonesia and Uzbekistan to contaminated batches of paediatric syrup. Meanwhile, low and middle-income countries lose an estimated $30-billion annually to substandard and falsified medicines through wasted treatment and lost productivity. These figures should shock every African leader into action. Yet we continue to witness the same patterns of negligence, weak governance, and misplaced priorities that allow this deadly trade to flourish. The Hard Truth About Our Failures Having spent decades studying this crisis, I can tell you that substandard and falsified medical products persist across Africa because of a toxic combination of factors: weak political will from governments, limited accountability, corruption in regulatory and law enforcement systems, and fragmented coordination between agencies. The market conditions make matters worse. High demand for cheaper medicines creates opportunity for criminals, while complex cross-border supply chain regulations and low barriers of entry for illicit operations provide the perfect environment for this trade to thrive. The regulatory landscape is particularly damning. Only eight out of 54 African countries operate stable and well-functioning regulatory systems at WHO's recommended maturity level: Egypt, Ghana, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania and Zimbabwe. This means 46 countries are failing to protect their citizens from potentially deadly medications. Even more concerning, fewer than a dozen African Union member states have completed or formally initiated the domestication of the AU Model Law. The sanctions for those responsible remain laughably weak. In my own country, Tanzania, the legal maximum fine for falsified medicine offenses is just five million Tanzanian shillings - roughly $2,000 - or three years in jail. This is hardly a deterrent for criminals making millions from this trade. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. 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Next Stay Close ✕ Supply Chain Vulnerabilities Are Killing Us The weaknesses in our supply chain environment are equally alarming. There are massive leakages between legal and illicit distribution channels. In the Sahel region, 40 percent of detected substandard and falsified medical products were found inside regulated supply chains. This means our own systems are being compromised. Border control remains woefully inadequate. Customs officials at major ports inspect fewer than 10 percent of containers, relying primarily on risk-based X-ray screening. Meanwhile, 37 percent of vaccines in low and middle-income country supply chains show freezing exposure during storage, potentially destroying their effectiveness. The AUDA-NEPAD Working Group on Substandard and Falsified Medical Products took place in Addis Ababa. Image: Supplied The Path Forward: Six Critical Actions To secure Africa's medicine supply by 2030, we must address six fundamental areas: First, regulatory gaps must be closed immediately. We need properly financed national regulatory bodies and swift ratification of the African Medicines Agency treaty. Every African country must achieve WHO maturity level 3 status. Second, supply chain weaknesses require urgent attention. We must eliminate leakages between legal and illicit channels and strengthen border controls with enhanced inspection protocols. Third, manufacturing quality assurance deficits cannot be tolerated. Industry must implement good manufacturing practices and serialization technologies while sharing supply chain information transparently. Fourth, market surveillance systems must be strengthened. Regulators must adopt risk-based post-market surveillance and publish transparent data on medicine quality. Fifth, governance and resource allocation need fundamental reform. The criminalization of the substandard and falsified medicine trade with stiffer penalties is non-negotiable. Current fines that amount to pocket change for criminals must be replaced with sentences that reflect the gravity of these crimes. Sixth, public awareness campaigns are essential. Citizens must understand the dangers and know how to identify legitimate medicines. Universal Health Coverage Depends on This We cannot achieve universal health coverage while substandard and falsified medicines undermine patient treatment, fuel drug resistance, and kill our people. These products don't just harm individual patients - they destroy confidence in our entire healthcare system. The economic argument is equally compelling. At $30-billion in annual losses, we're talking about resources that could fund hospitals, train healthcare workers, and expand access to quality medicines across the continent. The Time for Action is Now African leaders must understand that this is not just a health issue - it's a security threat, an economic crisis, and a moral emergency rolled into one. Every day we delay action, more children die, more families are destroyed, and more resources are wasted. We have the knowledge, the frameworks, and the examples of success from countries that have made progress. What we need now is the political will to act decisively. The choice is clear: we can continue with business as usual and watch thousands more children die, or we can take the bold steps necessary to protect our people and secure our future. History will judge us by the choice we make. * Professor Eliangiringa Kaale is a leading expert on pharmaceutical regulation and quality assurance at Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences in Tanzania. This is his address to the AUDA-NEPAD Working Group on Substandard and Falsified Medical Products in Addis Ababa. ** The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of IOL or Independent Media.
IOL News
a day ago
- IOL News
Winter wellness checklist: 10 proven tips to keep your family healthy this season
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Annual flu vaccines can lower your chances of getting the flu, and if you do get sick, it's often milder. Make it a family routine – it protects not just you, but those around you. 2. Wash hands like it matters - because it does: Our hands pick up germs from everywhere - shopping trolleys, school bags, door handles. The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) reminds us that frequent handwashing with soap and water is one of the simplest yet most effective ways to stop viruses from spreading. When soap isn't around, keep a hand sanitiser in your bag or car. And yes, remind the kids (again) not to touch their eyes, nose or mouth. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) reminds us that frequent handwashing with soap and water is one of the simplest yet most effective ways to stop viruses from spreading. Image: Anna Shvets/pexels 3. 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Daily Maverick
a day ago
- Daily Maverick
What gorillas and a pioneer vet taught us about disease, scarecrows and the future of conservation
It started with itchy gorillas and old scarecrows. It ended with a blueprint for saving both people and wildlife. Yves Vanderhaeghen reports on the One Health initiative launched by the pioneering Ugandan wildlife veterinarian, Dr Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka. In the misty borderlands of Uganda's Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, villagers fighting to save their banana crops turned to a humble warrior: the scarecrow. They cobbled them together from sticks and discarded clothes, posting them at the edge of their fields to frighten off wild mountain gorillas. But the scarecrows harboured an invisible threat. They carried disease. And the pioneering vet who figured out the link, Dr Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka, would change the course of conservation, as well as the lives of the villagers. Kalema-Zikusoka will be presenting a keynote address on her work, titled 'Integrating health and people in Gorilla Conservation', at this year's Oppenheimer Research Conference. The mid-1990s were a boom time for Uganda's fledgling ecotourism industry. Mountain gorillas, once the elusive subjects of Dian Fossey's field notebooks, were becoming international celebrities. They were drawing visitors and dollars to a country eager to rebuild after the regime of Idi Amin, under which teeming wildlife and political opponents were decimated. Kalema-Zikusoka's family did not escape the terror: her father was murdered and her mother was arrested during those years, but she survived. To meet growing tourism demands, authorities selected gorilla groups living near the park's edge for 'habituation', gradually getting the animals used to human presence. But in doing so, they brought gorillas dangerously close to villages. Banana plantations proved irresistible. 'And people, of course, get upset because it's their livelihood,' explains Kalema-Zikusoka, 'and so they tend to put dirty clothing on scarecrows to chase away baboons, gorillas and other wildlife.' But the clothes carried more than the scent of human labour. They carried mites – tiny, infectious stowaways. Soon after, something strange showed up in the forest. White, crusty lesions bloomed across the faces and arms of the great apes. Their thick fur thinned. They scratched relentlessly. Mountain gorillas, icons of strength and mystery, were falling prey to an unseen enemy. Enter Kalema-Zikusoka Fresh from her training in the UK, Uganda's first wildlife veterinarian had expected to treat the occasional snare wound or parasitic infection, not a mysterious, spreading skin disease. Alarmed, she reached beyond the conservation community, turning to a human doctor friend and asking a deceptively simple question: 'What's the most common skin disease among people living in poverty?' The answer: scabies. Confirming the diagnosis took months of careful investigation. Kalema-Zikusoka partnered with wildlife veterinarian and epidemiologist Dr Richard Kock, and together they treated the gorillas with ivermectin, 'which treats scabies, not Covid', she notes in a gentle swipe at anti-vax conspiracy theorists. Most of the afflicted gorillas recovered. But not all. A tiny infant, weakened by the infestation, was abandoned by its mother and died. 'That group only had four individuals,' Kalema-Zikusoka recalls. 'And we were sending six tourists a day to visit them; more tourists than gorillas. It wasn't ideal.' But mountain gorillas ended up thriving, and by 2018 overall wild populations grew to more than 1,000 (of whom 459 are in Bwindi), and they were removed from the critically endangered list and their status was downgraded to 'endangered'. The Virunga National Park, across the border in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda, is home to 604 mountain gorillas. But the real breakthrough wasn't just medical. It was philosophical. Tracing the human link Further investigation revealed a stark truth: the gorillas' suffering mirrored that of the human communities living just beyond the forest edge. Villagers struggled without reliable access to clean water, latrines or healthcare. Scabies ran rampant. Waste disposal often meant tossing rubbish into the bush. 'We proved that the disease had come from people,' says Kalema-Zikusoka. It was a turning point. If human health could compromise gorilla survival, then conservation couldn't focus on animals alone. It had to heal entire ecosystems, including the human ones. Building a new model: One Health in action Determined to act, Kalema-Zikusoka founded Conservation Through Public Health (CTPH) in 2003, a nonprofit built around a then-radical idea: you can't protect endangered species without first ensuring the health and wellbeing of the people living beside them. CTPH's core objectives included improving public health around protected areas, preventing disease transmission between humans, livestock and wildlife, promoting sustainable, community-driven tourism, empowering locals to take ownership of health and conservation and easing human-wildlife conflicts through education and engagement. At the grassroots level, the changes were practical and profound. Through its Village Health and Conservation Teams, CTPH introduced its '12 Principles of Household Health' to ensure homes were safer, for both people and gorillas. The principles range from handwashing facilities and using clean latrines and keeping livestock healthy and separate from human areas, to family planning and child spacing. Family planning? 'Yes, we improve not only sanitation and hygiene. Family planning is a key indicator,' Kalema-Zikusoka explains. 'People used to tell us they had 10 children: five for school, the other five to chase wildlife from the garden. But they couldn't reduce poverty at home.' CTPH launched a One Health model household initiative, using a colour-coded system, from Red homes, which meet four or fewer principles, to Green homes, which meet more than nine principles. 'Over time we saw an increase from 22% to 58% green households. Volunteers now reach over 50,000 people in 10,000 homes around the national park,' she says. The stakes were high, for the gorillas and the people. 'Those who don't go to school end up becoming poachers or peasants digging in other people's gardens,' Kalema-Zikusoka explains. 'When you have a huge family, you need more food, more firewood; you go into the forest to survive. That's why we began addressing population, health and environment together.' Over time, CTPH kept expanding. Nutrition programmes were added to combat hunger-driven poaching. During Covid-19, food security became a focus, and providing fast-growing seedlings helped communities avoid depleting the forest. Furthermore, conservation education efforts helped villagers access and equitably share ecotourism revenue, often a missing piece in previous efforts. In a country where 30% of the population of about 48 million lives below the poverty line, the conservation economy is crucial. 'Our One Health model reaches every home,' says Kalema-Zikusoka. 'Most conservationists would just hold a meeting, and only the elites would attend. But those living right on the park's edge, those chasing wildlife from gardens, the ones causing and suffering the most, they needed to be the biggest beneficiaries.' A pandemic stress test, and a new chapter When Covid-19 hit in 2020, CTPH's work became even more critical. 'We built upon the One Health model to mitigate the impact of the pandemic,' says Kalema-Zikusoka. CTPH partnered with the Uganda Wildlife Authority, NGOs, tour operators and communities to prevent transmission between people and gorillas while improving livelihoods through initiatives such as Gorilla Conservation Coffee, a social enterprise supporting farmers near gorilla habitats. CTPH's organic expansion now addresses 11 of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals and is being scaled to other biodiversity hotspots, preventing disease outbreaks and addressing climate change through an integrated, people-centred approach. The Gorilla Effect: tourism, conservation and care Today, mountain gorilla populations are steadily increasing, and ecotourism has played a major role. 'Gorilla tourism contributes about 60% of the revenue for the whole Uganda Wildlife Authority,' says Kalema-Zikusoka. 'It funds other parks that can't meet operational costs.' Around Bwindi alone, more than 70 lodges now cater to visitors eager for a glimpse of habituated gorilla groups. Yet strict guidelines limit encounters: only eight tourists per gorilla group per day. And the One Health approach ensures tourists don't inadvertently harm the very creatures they come to see. 'It's a real concern that tourists could bring fatal diseases like Covid-19,' she warns. CTPH now promotes responsible tourism: mask-wearing, maintaining a safe distance and encouraging visitors to give back by hiring local porters or buying crafts. During the pandemic, mask-wearing around gorillas helped dramatically reduce respiratory diseases, especially in Rwanda's high-altitude parks. 'It's a habit we're keeping,' she says. Health workers are mindful that disease can be carried in both directions. They 'tell people the dangers of eating bushmeat, for example, because you can get zoonotic disease (and it's also illegal). So, they talk about a lot of conservation issues as well as public health issues,' says Kalema-Zikusoka. 'The gorillas in Bwindi pick up worms from people. Whenever they range in community land, they pick up human parasites and livestock parasites. Sometimes they don't make them sick, but sometimes they do. And that's where we have to intervene not only with the gorillas, but with the people and the livestock. We haven't seen any diseases that jump from gorillas to the communities. But they have in other countries, like Ebola in central Africa. Because people there eat gorillas. In Uganda, people don't eat gorillas because it's considered bad luck. It was also considered bad luck to look in the eyes of a gorilla. The Batwa people who lived in the forest never looked in the eyes of a gorilla. They avoided them. 'But when the gorillas cross to DRC, they can get eaten because there they believe if you eat a gorilla, you can become as strong as a gorilla. So, cultural beliefs can also have an impact on zoonotic disease transmission.' A healthier future for all Today, the mist still clings to Bwindi's tangled canopy, and the gorillas still roam, but now under careful health monitoring and stronger tourism guidelines. Communities once left behind by conservation are now its champions. Where a lonely scarecrow once stood, there now stands a network of farmers, health workers and conservationists, united by a shared understanding: survival, for both people and gorillas, depends on each other. 'What started as a veterinary mystery,' says Kalema-Zikusoka, 'became a model for saving species through saving people.' As she reflects: 'We can't ask people to protect wildlife if they don't have their basic needs met. Healthy people, healthy animals, healthy environment; it's one system.' In the end, the disease that crossed the forest edge didn't just threaten a species. It connected two worlds, human and wild, and taught them how to heal together. DM Dr Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka will present a keynote talk, 'Integrating health and people in Gorilla Conservation', at the Oppenheimer Research Conference, which takes place from 15 to 17 October 2025. She is the founder and CEO of Conservation Through Public Health and has published an autobiography, Walking With Gorillas: The Journey of an African Wildlife Vet.
