By FREDRICK MWANSA –
When the genetic sequencing of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-COV-2) that causes Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) was published, scientists around the world retreated into their labs and worked harder and faster than ever to develop a vaccine against this deadly disease.
The outcome of these efforts, which cost millions of dollars, was the unprecedented development and testing of safe and effective vaccines for the COVID-19 virus in less than a year.
Pfizer-BioNTech, Oxford University-Astra Zeneca, Sinopharm, Johnson & Johnson, Sputnik V, and Moderna are vaccines that were developed and approved.
According to the Ministry of Health, as of November 22, 2021, Zambia has received over 3.6 million doses of various vaccines, with more being anticipated.
While the development of these vaccines against the coronavirus is a significant accomplishment, successful vaccination of the eligible population remains a challenge due to misinformation and myths about the vaccine that have emerged.
For example, according to the Ministry of Health, as of November 19, 2021, only a paltry 7.4 per cent of the eligible population was fully vaccinated in Zambia.
An additional 4.6 per cent has received at least the one dose.
Vaccine hesitancy is defined by the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) vaccine hesitancy working group of the World Health Organisation (WHO) as “delay in acceptance or refusal despite the availability of vaccine services.”
WHO has identified vaccine hesitancy as one of 10 public health issues that may have negative consequences.
If vaccine hesitancy persists, achieving herd immunity—the key to beating the pandemic, according to health experts—will be difficult.
To address vaccine hesitancy, the Ministry of Health has partnered with a number of stakeholders in the country.
The USAID Discover Health Project is one such stakeholder that is collaborating with the Government to educate traditional leaders in the country about the importance of vaccination against COVID-19.
USAID is supporting the Ministry of Health in its “Get vaccinated – Fight # COVID 19” campaign, which aims to get 2 million more vaccines into the hands of people as soon as possible and have 30 per cent of the eligible population fully vaccinated by end of this month.
The December COVID-19 vaccination drive aims at re-energising the campaign nationally with leadership involvement, and to get as many people vaccinated as possible.
Itezhi-Tezhi is one of the districts where traditional leaders are being educated to help drive the vaccine campaign.
To dispel myths and beliefs that cause hesitancy and generate demand for vaccines, the USAID Discover Project and the Ministry of Health, in collaboration with the Department of Chiefs and Traditional Affairs, has organized meetings in which headmen meet with health experts to learn about vaccines.
Itezhi-Tezhi District Health Director Sylvester Kasonde said the sensitization of traditional leaders is part of the Government’s efforts to scale up the national COVID response.
Dr Kasonde said the traditional leaders play an important role in raising awareness among subjects in their chiefdoms.
Dr Kasonde appealed to the traditional leaders to encourage their subjects to get vaccinated because it is the only sure way of preventing the spread of the deadly viral disease.
“We can never overstate the importance of traditional leaders in influencing their subjects,” Dr Kasonde said.
He said misinformation has proved to be a challenge to universal COVID-19 vaccination in the country.
He blamed the misinformation on social media and some religious groups.
“In certain chiefdoms, the response has been good while in other areas the response has been poor. Some traditional leaders are discouraging people from getting vaccines and instead are proposing alternative methods which are not proved,” Dr Kasonde said.
He said some churches have made it difficult to convince people to get vaccinated.
“We have engaged some clergymen on the importance of vaccines, but unfortunately, some still go back and preach against it,” Dr Kasonde said.
Chiefs Kaingu, Chikaza Munyama (formerly Shimbizhi), Shezongo, and Musungwa are among traditional leaders who attended some of the senistisation meetings.
Chief Musungwa commended the Ministry of Health and USAID Discover Health project for the efforts to reach out to traditional leaders in order to increase COVID-19 vaccine uptake.
He warned that the coronavirus pandemic, which he described as very serious, can wipe out the population if vaccine hesitancy is not addressed.
“When we heard that the vaccines were available in the district, I called for a meeting for all headmen and explained the importance of all of them spreading the message and ensuring that all eligible people get vaccinated,” Chief Musungwa said.
He said his chiefdom does not want to go into extinction because of allowing the disease to spread.
He said immediately his leadership learned of the availability of the vaccines in the district, it decided to spread the information to all elders and headmen, calling on them to get vaccinated.
Chief Musungwa said by getting vaccinated with his headmen, he set a good example for those who are still hesitant to get the vaccine.
The traditional leader urged the people in Itezhi-Tezhi to pay attention to what the Ministry of Health had to say about the importance of getting vaccinated.
He further said the ministry needs adequate staff and funding to in order to carry out mobile vaccination in difficult-to-reach areas.
In Luubwe, the healthcare workers met sub-Chief Shaloba of Musungwa Chiefdom.
Luubwe is unique in that the majority of traditional leaders are among the first to receive the vaccine.
Coronavirus, according to Headman Munanza, whose name is Morris Nakachomba, is a very dangerous disease.
The headman said the disease has disrupted schools and other social and business activities.
Headman Mumanza said the traditional leaders should lead by example because by doing so, their subjects will receive the vaccine as well.
The traditional leader expressed concern that if the number of vaccinated people remains low, there will be frequent disruptions, such as school closures and even lockdowns.
The headman said misinformation fuelled primarily by religious beliefs, such as vaccination being a Biblical Mark of the Beast, 666, is the main myth that is driving vaccine hesitancy in the Luubwe area.
He stressed the importance of vaccination in order to avoid periodic restrictions that disrupt business and other social activities.
“I saw people die of COVID-19 in Namwala District Hospital when I was there. Because of that, I made sure that I got vaccinated immediately the vaccines were made available in the area,” Headman Munanza said.
He appealed to all headmen in the area to encourage their subjects to get correct information about the vaccines.
“Let everyone be vaccinated. This is not the biblical 666 that some people are claiming to be,” Headman Munanza said.
He said that vaccination was extremely important to avoid restrictions.
Chief Shezongo commended the health workers for their initiative.
Her said lack of accurate health information is the main problem in the areas.
Chief Shezongo said some people believed social media posts that claim that the body for vaccinated people becomes like a magnet and metal objects placed on the area where the vaccine is injected stick to the body.
Headman Mubita Kaongolo said the initiative taken by the Ministry of Health and its partners is important in making people understand that the coronavirus vaccine is just like any other, such as the vaccine for measles, cholera of HPV.
Mr Kaongolo advised the health workers to be mindful of the time and not to make people wait in long lines as most of them had to attend to their fields.
It is hoped that the participation of traditional leaders will be of help in ensuring that the national target of 2 million vaccinations is reached by the end of this month.
Itezhi-Tezhi district, with a population of 92,390, is aiming to vaccinate 48,836 people by the end of this month.-ZANIS