In March 2023, Kenya’s news outlets reported that over two million COVID-19 vaccine doses have expired and would be destroyed, because Kenyan’s are hesitant to get the shots. We were already researching on the causes of vaccine hesitancy in Africa, and we found the following 10 reasons for vaccine hesitancy in Africa.
1. Longevity among the Unvaccinated Africans.
One of our research studies in Africa showed that 100 percent of the adults aged 75-100+ (mean age 86) had never been vaccinated. That’s right. Not a single shot. All the 2844 adults (1366 males and 1478 females) interviewed had lived their entire lives without the use or need for vaccines. They serve as an example to younger generations and this makes other Africans hesitant to have any vaccines.
2. Past unethical vaccine practices
Past experiences of mistreatment and use of vaccines laced with bad ingredients has been a great cause of vaccine hesitancy in Africa. For instance, a tetanus vaccine offered by the World Health Organization was laced with human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) which made it a ‘birth-control’ vaccine. The ‘anti-tetanus’ campaign, similar to many such campaigns by WHO were underway in Africa when the Catholic Church discovered that the abortifacient vaccines were being used as tetanus prophylactic in developing countries. In 2014, these tetanus vaccines laced with anti-fertility contents were discovered in Kenya. This and many other cited cases have been a reason for vaccine hesitancy in Africa.
3. Use of Fear-mongering/Scare-mongering tactics
Health officials in Africa and from international organizations use fear mongering and scare tactics to drum up the need for vaccines. For instance, January was supposed to be ‘cervical cancer awareness month’. However, health officials in various African countries applied fear mongering tactics to get parents to have their young girls vaccinated against HPV. They insisted that these vaccines would help prevent cervical cancer in future which was not true. Also, they deliberately hid the adverse effects of the HPV vaccines from their audience. The same happened for the new low-efficacy malaria vaccine. Officials did not disclose a single adverse effect of the dangerous vaccine, instead focused on speaking about the dangerous mosquito vector spreading malaria discovered in Africa. Such scare tactics proved futile during the height of COVID-19,and Africans do not respond to such unfounded threats.
4. Vaccine Side Effects/No VAERS system
Many African health ministries, health systems lack a comprehensive vaccine adverse effects reporting system (VAERS). Many Africans injured from vaccines cannot report these injuries, and they end up paying hefty medical costs for the treatment of the side effects arising from the given vaccine. This has created a lot of vaccine hesitancy as Africans prefer to naturally heal from diseases, than have to fight worse side effects.
5. Lack of trust in healthcare systems and international organizations
No one is ever held accountable for medical negligence or ignorance in Africa. Also, during the height of the pandemic the shortages of COVID-19 vaccines in Africa sent a strong message that developed countries were not willing to support Africans. Africans were on their own, so why send all the extra vaccines to Africa now that other countries are complaining about vaccine injuries? This valid concern has also led to vaccine hesitancy. International organizations and donors often do not obtain informed consent from Africans, and they avoid fully disclosing the risks of vaccines. This creates distrust when the organizations are eager to sell the benefits of a drug while hiding the risks or known adverse effects associated with the drug.
6. Religious and Cultural beliefs.
Most Africans believe that God cures all diseases and using any medical interventions may be going against ‘God’s will’. Also, some prefer visiting a traditional ‘healer’ who is known and revered in society. These beliefs in many cases are responsible for vaccine hesitancy in Africa.
7. Herbs and Diets that boost Natural Immunity
Traditionally, Africans relied on herbalists to provide ancient medicine that helped cure most ailments. Also, some Africans enjoy foraging for healthy food like wild greens and fruits that help boost their immunity and has been credited for fighting many diseases. Also, many Africans embrace the fact that healing from a disease un-aided by ‘Western’ interventions such as medicines and vaccines, helps boost natural immunity and prevent diseases.
8. Poor Healthcare Facilities.
Another reason for vaccine hesitancy in Africa is the lack of good healthcare facilities or systems. Some quacks and untrained professionals have been known to run small dispensaries or healthcare clinics to make money. This endangers the lives of many Africans, and they shy away from the legit healthcare facilities altogether.
9. Political influence
Political influence has been known to contribute to vaccine hesitancy. Many tribes in Africa belong to certain political affiliations, and they follow the advice of their political leaders. Some leaders were against the COVID-19 vaccines, and this led to many of their followers avoiding the vaccines.
10. Vaccine-derived diseases
One of our articles discussed in depth the recent outbreaks of the circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2, which is a mutated strain of the poliovirus contained in the live oral polio vaccine (OPV). Doctors have warned of some diseases arising from vaccines, and this has been one significant reason for Africans to stay away from vaccines.