Misunderstanding poor adherence to COVID-19 vaccination in Africa
Correspondence
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Elsevier
2022
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1016/S2214-109X(22)00179-6 http://hdl.handle.net/11408/4992 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1779905302555000832 |
|---|---|
| author | Mutombo, Polydor Ngoy Fallah, Mosoka P Munodawafa, Davison Kabel, Ahmed Houeto, David Goronga, Tinashe Mweemba, Oliver Balance, Gladys Onya, Hans Kamba, Roger S Chipimo, Miriam Kayembe, Jean-Marie Ntumba Akanmori, Bartholomew |
| author_facet | Mutombo, Polydor Ngoy Fallah, Mosoka P Munodawafa, Davison Kabel, Ahmed Houeto, David Goronga, Tinashe Mweemba, Oliver Balance, Gladys Onya, Hans Kamba, Roger S Chipimo, Miriam Kayembe, Jean-Marie Ntumba Akanmori, Bartholomew |
| author_sort | Mutombo, Polydor Ngoy |
| collection | DSpace |
| description | Correspondence |
| format | Article |
| id | ir-11408-4992 |
| institution | My University |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2022 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | ir-11408-49922022-07-21T09:12:25Z Misunderstanding poor adherence to COVID-19 vaccination in Africa Mutombo, Polydor Ngoy Fallah, Mosoka P Munodawafa, Davison Kabel, Ahmed Houeto, David Goronga, Tinashe Mweemba, Oliver Balance, Gladys Onya, Hans Kamba, Roger S Chipimo, Miriam Kayembe, Jean-Marie Ntumba Akanmori, Bartholomew COVID-19 vaccination vaccine hesitancy vaccine uptake COVID-19 Africa Correspondence We welcome Bernard Seytre's engagement with our Comment.1 However, his response leaves us more perplexed than enlightened. It is not clear whether Seytre is questioning the sources or disputing the facts. In any event, a careful reader of the US study we cited,2 for example, will find therein explicit treatment of racism, medical abuse, and public trust (page 2 of the study). This finding has direct bearing on vaccine hesitancy and the history of colonial medicine and medical abuse in Africa, as shown by several studies (see Lowes and colleagues for a sample).3 We certainly hope Seytre does not dispute the facts about global vaccine apartheid.4 Comparing vaccine uptake for COVID-19 with that of diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (DPT) is a false analogy. Vaccines for children have been widely accepted in Africa as a result of decades of investment in health workers and community engagement by governments and various partners, and the 80% coverage of DPT vaccines has been achieved by the WHO regional office over a long period of time. Additionally, and irrespective of knowledge, it is mandatory in most African countries for a child to be vaccinated to be enrolled in school. It seems somewhat disingenuous that Seytre has referred to a dearth of knowledge in relation to his findings on risk perceptions, while castigating us for doing the same thing. This lapse, unwittingly, supports our conclusions. And if the whole point of Seytre's response is that vaccine hesitancy can be addressed by communicating on the fact that COVID-19 is present in Africa, how the virus is transmitted, and who is at risk for the disease, we do not know how one could do so effectively without understanding and combatting fake news and misinformation, which was one of our four recommendations. Seytre seems to stage his own research as the ultimate truth. Yet our approach, unlike his, is holistic. Instead of a narrow focus on lack of knowledge and perceptions, we situate communication in the larger structural determinants of vaccine hesitancy and apartheid by analysing the causes of that risk perception. A detailed causal analysis of COVID-19 misinformation and vaccine hesitancy in Africa5 confirms our argument. It is unfortunate that Seytre's response generates more heat than light. Hair splitting and fault finding only distracts from attending to global vaccine apartheid and working towards global justice, which our Comment attempted to do. We declare no competing interests. 2022-07-21T09:12:25Z 2022-07-21T09:12:25Z 2022 Article 2214-109X https://doi.org/10.1016/S2214-109X(22)00179-6 http://hdl.handle.net/11408/4992 en The Lancet Global Health;Vol 10 open Elsevier |
| spellingShingle | COVID-19 vaccination vaccine hesitancy vaccine uptake COVID-19 Africa Mutombo, Polydor Ngoy Fallah, Mosoka P Munodawafa, Davison Kabel, Ahmed Houeto, David Goronga, Tinashe Mweemba, Oliver Balance, Gladys Onya, Hans Kamba, Roger S Chipimo, Miriam Kayembe, Jean-Marie Ntumba Akanmori, Bartholomew Misunderstanding poor adherence to COVID-19 vaccination in Africa |
| title | Misunderstanding poor adherence to COVID-19 vaccination in Africa |
| title_full | Misunderstanding poor adherence to COVID-19 vaccination in Africa |
| title_fullStr | Misunderstanding poor adherence to COVID-19 vaccination in Africa |
| title_full_unstemmed | Misunderstanding poor adherence to COVID-19 vaccination in Africa |
| title_short | Misunderstanding poor adherence to COVID-19 vaccination in Africa |
| title_sort | misunderstanding poor adherence to covid-19 vaccination in africa |
| topic | COVID-19 vaccination vaccine hesitancy vaccine uptake COVID-19 Africa |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1016/S2214-109X(22)00179-6 http://hdl.handle.net/11408/4992 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT mutombopolydorngoy misunderstandingpooradherencetocovid19vaccinationinafrica AT fallahmosokap misunderstandingpooradherencetocovid19vaccinationinafrica AT munodawafadavison misunderstandingpooradherencetocovid19vaccinationinafrica AT kabelahmed misunderstandingpooradherencetocovid19vaccinationinafrica AT houetodavid misunderstandingpooradherencetocovid19vaccinationinafrica AT gorongatinashe misunderstandingpooradherencetocovid19vaccinationinafrica AT mweembaoliver misunderstandingpooradherencetocovid19vaccinationinafrica AT balancegladys misunderstandingpooradherencetocovid19vaccinationinafrica AT onyahans misunderstandingpooradherencetocovid19vaccinationinafrica AT kambarogers misunderstandingpooradherencetocovid19vaccinationinafrica AT chipimomiriam misunderstandingpooradherencetocovid19vaccinationinafrica AT kayembejeanmarientumba misunderstandingpooradherencetocovid19vaccinationinafrica AT akanmoribartholomew misunderstandingpooradherencetocovid19vaccinationinafrica |