I fully agree that it's more efficient to ignore diseases until the last turn. It's a flaw in the co-op game.
I think ignoring hunger is in a grey area, since that money can be pretty useful for other things. Also, after you've spent your starting money you'll have to spend time mining and researching to pay for your hungry workers.
I've started playing with a variant where hunger/disease/oxygen-tokens are not removed at the end of a cycle. That way you're forced to deal with them eventually. It's usually better to deal with them sooner than later.
I think ignoring hunger is in a grey area, since that money can be pretty useful for other things. Also, after you've spent your starting money you'll have to spend time mining and researching to pay for your hungry workers.
I've started playing with a variant where hunger/disease/oxygen-tokens are not removed at the end of a cycle. That way you're forced to deal with them eventually. It's usually better to deal with them sooner than later.