Vaccine hesitancy growing in Africa

Ignorance and false information contribute to trend, says report

Vaccine hesitancy is growing in sub-Saharan African even as the region scrambles to vaccinate its population against the novel coronavirus, a report by South African and Ugandan scientists has warned.

“Vaccine hesitancy is a growing trend in sub-Saharan Africa, driven by fears of side effects fuelled by ignorance and false information circulated in the media, presenting a serious threat to efforts to increase immunisation coverage in the region,” it reads.