Hello. This is an interesting question, and the claim you’ve mentioned is usually raised on social media platforms, often with a very cynical view or even as dark, black humor.
Because India and Pakistan have large populations, this joke has spread and gone viral .
This war may have been planned by the superpowers to pit these two old, neighboring countries and good people against each other. People need to be made aware.
From the perspective of the vast majority of public health experts, international organizations (like the World Health Organization), and humanitarian viewpoints, any military conflict and war is not only not beneficial to global health, but is considered a disaster for human health and well-being. The reasons are clear:
- Casualties and Injuries: The most direct and catastrophic effect of war is the killing and injuring of thousands of people.
- Displacement: War causes the displacement of millions of people, which itself leads to unsanitary conditions, lack of safe food and water, and increased spread of infectious diseases in camps and refugee areas.
- Destruction of Infrastructure: Hospitals, healthcare centers, water and sanitation systems, and power grids, which are vital for public health, are damaged or destroyed in war.
- Lack of Healthcare Services: Access to doctors, medicine, and vaccinations in war-torn areas is severely reduced.
- Mental Health Issues: War has deep and long-lasting effects on people’s mental health, especially children.
- Disease Outbreaks: Disruption of health services, lack of vaccinations, displacement, and poor living conditions create fertile ground for the spread of diseases like cholera, measles, polio, and respiratory illnesses.
So why do some people make such a claim?
The only justification that could possibly be behind such a cruel and unethical claim is a view that considers war as a way to “reduce the population” in order to, in their view, alleviate pressure on Earth’s resources (water, food, energy) and consequently reduce the negative effects of human activities on the environment and global health (like pollution, climate change).
This view is, firstly, ethically completely unacceptable, as it devalues human lives. Secondly, even logically it has serious flaws; the environmental and health effects of war (such as the use of weapons, environmental destruction from bombing, etc.) are themselves very destructive and long-lasting and can have very negative consequences for global health.
In summary:
The claim that military conflict between countries is beneficial to global health is a completely incorrect, unethical, and baseless claim. Such talk often occurs in the informal space of social media, stemming from very cynical views towards the future or intended as dark humor, and has no scientific or humanitarian basis. War always inflicts a deadly blow to the health, sanitation, and well-being of people at individual, national, and global levels.