09/09/2022
According to WHO, vaccination is one of the most cost-effective ways of avoiding disease β it currently prevents 2-3 million deaths a year, and a further 1.5 million could be avoided if global coverage of vaccinations improved.
The WHO has in 2019 listed vaccine hesitancy as one of the top 10 global health threats.
Social media is one of the driving avenues for accelerating vaccine hesitancy as there is a significant number of anti-vaccination campaigns and messages rapidly spreading on popular social media platforms. These anti-vaccination campaigns and messages are said to have a significant effect on the acceptance of vaccines by targeted populations. These misleading social media campaigns and messages usually get the attention of their targets not because it is considered credible but because, on the unlikely chance it is correct, the consequences would be terrifying. More extreme propaganda of negative effects is incentivized, thus leading to a spiral of threat matched by public fear.
Looking at vaccine hesitancy in Sub-Saharan Africa with regards to the COVID-19 vaccine, we will see that hesitancy is generally low in the region, as 4 out of 5 people are willing to take their COVID-19 vaccine when it is made accessible. Having this as very good news for public health, we shall still not be reluctant in boosting the confidence of the remaining 1 of the 5 people who will not be willing to take their COVID-19 vaccine when it is accessible.
These two pressing public health threats: i.e.
1. The use of social media to organize misleading campaigns against vaccines to portray that vaccinations are unsafe
2. Lack of confidence in the safety and efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccine in the 1/5 populace of SSA
must be treated strategically and very effectively as much as we want to achieve meaningful vaccine acceptance and ultimately the 2030 SDGs and UHC in Africa.
World Health Organization (WHO) United Nations Human Rights United Nations Ministry of Health & Prevention CDC Africa CDC CDC Eat Well Be Active IFMSA SCOPH (Standing Committee on Public Health) International Federation of Medical Students' Associations Health
That is what me and My Colleagues we are working to work on!