Epidemiologist Cesar Victora refused the title of Grand Cross of the National Order of Scientific Merit, granted by the government of Jair Bolsonaro (no party) on Wednesday (3).
According to an open letter written by the professor, the award, even though it is a great “recognition for any Brazilian scientist”, left him divided because it was made by a management that “not only ignores, but actively boycotts the recommendations of epidemiology and collective health “.
The National Order of Scientific Merit is one of the country’s highest awards for scientists. It was created in 1993 by the then president Itamar Franco to honor professionals with “relevant contributions to science and technology”.
Victora, who is professor emeritus at the Federal University of Pelotas and received the Sir Richard Doll 2021 international epidemiology award, had already been appointed as commander of the Order in 2008 — the degree of Grand Cross is more important.
The new honor for the scientist was part of a federal government decree issued on Wednesday. In the same document, the Brazilian president admitted other government personalities to the Order, such as the minister of Science and Technology, Marcos Pontes, and the minister of Economy, Paulo Guedes.
In the released letter, the professor states that “as a scientist and epidemiologist, I have made public, through lectures and scientific articles, my complete opposition to the way the COVID-19 pandemic has been faced by this government.”
Victora also criticizes “denial in general, persecutions of fellow scientists and especially recent cuts in federal budgets for science” which, according to him, resulted in a setback for Brazilian scientific knowledge.
The epidemiologist also points out the fact that two scientists who had received the honor in the original decree —Marcus Vinícius Lacerda and Adele Schwartz Benzaken— had their appointments revoked in a new text signed by Bolsonaro this Friday (5).
“such attitude [de retificar a nomeação de Lacerda e Benzaken] it only reinforces my decision not to accept the distinction offered to me.”, he says.
According to the professor, both scientists had critical positions to the current administration. Lacerda was one of the scientists to develop clinical studies that demonstrated the ineffectiveness of chloroquine against Covid-19 —Bolsonaro is an advocate of using the drug to fight the disease, although there is no scientific proof of its effectiveness.
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