Or more generally, if the region is in Malthusian equilibrium, why expect any one intervention to save anyone? In a perfect equilibrium, you’re just shifting deaths around from one cause (infections) to another.
In a Malthusian equilibrium, I expect to see deaths mainly in hard times. Get someone through a hard year, and they’re likely to be alright for another few years after. And decade by decade, more areas break out of Malthusian equilibrium, so buying enough time is a plausible strategy.
Though admittedly that’s all a qualitative argument, and I don’t know what the numbers look like.
If this region is at malthusian equilibrium why not travel with a backpack full of contraceptives instead?
Or more generally, if the region is in Malthusian equilibrium, why expect any one intervention to save anyone? In a perfect equilibrium, you’re just shifting deaths around from one cause (infections) to another.
In a Malthusian equilibrium, I expect to see deaths mainly in hard times. Get someone through a hard year, and they’re likely to be alright for another few years after. And decade by decade, more areas break out of Malthusian equilibrium, so buying enough time is a plausible strategy.
Though admittedly that’s all a qualitative argument, and I don’t know what the numbers look like.