Donors making a difference: Fighting myths and misinformation

One of the biggest obstacles to ending COVID-19 has been the misinformation that leads people to reject vaccinations. WHO’s donors are supporting work to bring accurate health information to all corners of the world so that people can protect themselves from COVID-19, polio and other diseases.This week we feature stories about fighting vaccine myths with the help of village elders in Malawi, by radio broadcast into the rainforests of Ecuador, through a travelling guitarist in southern Madagascar, and by a determined motorcyclist in northern Viet Nam.Other Stories on vaccine myth-busting come from Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo and Nigeria.With support from WHO, a village chief persuades hesitant families to vaccinate their children for polioNamazoma village Chief Neli Chimenya clangs a homemade bell to convene a meeting on the polio vaccine. ©WHOHalf of the 46 households in the village of Namazoma recently turned away health workers who had come to vaccinate their children for polio.

The reason for the refusal? Rumours had been circulating that the liquid vaccine wasn’t really for polio, and that the ink marks placed on the fingers of vaccinated children might have some sinister purpose.A special team, with representatives of WHO and UNICEF, responded immediately, meeting with Namazoma leaders to explain the benefits of the polio vaccine.

Village leaders listened to the facts, delivered in the Chichewa language, and after a question-and-answer session endorsed the polio vaccine.

Within a few days, 100 percent of the Namazoma’s households had allowed their children to receive it.Malawi is working to quickly vaccinate about 3 million children following the discovery of wild poliovirus in the country in February.In