One key factor in increasing public confidence in vaccines? “People need to feel like you care about their overall well-being,” according to Heidi Larson, a professor at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and one of the world’s foremost experts in tackling vaccine misinformation.
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A key lesson Larson took from working on polio eradication efforts was that people mistrusted health workers who focused solely on shots, rather than taking a more holistic approach to their public health, Larson said during a Devex event at the 74th World Health Assembly.
“We heard a lot: ‘Why do you keep coming with that same vaccine, our children are dying of measles, look at the dirty water you walked through to get here, we have other needs. We don’t trust why you keep pushing that one thing and you're not helping us to stay alive more broadly.’”
If health workers create the impression they are “just there to push one vaccine all the time,” she said, they risk creating mistrust among communities they work in.
Africans view COVID-19 vaccines as less safe than other vaccines
In an Africa CDC survey, most respondents viewed COVID-19 vaccines as less safe than those for other diseases. Health experts are calling for continuous surveillance as countries roll out vaccines.
Why it matters: Discussions around COVID-19 have focused heavily on ending the pandemic through the distribution of vaccines around the world, largely through the COVAX mechanism co-led by the World Health Organization.
But less emphasis has been placed on strengthening health systems and public health more broadly — indeed, the U.K. has cut some health funding as part of its controversial aid budget reductions.
Larson’s comments are a reminder that public health goes beyond vaccines.
“It’s important in any kind of vaccination outreach that we take that extra time to hear what the concerns and other felt needs are in the community, and somehow put the vaccine in the context of that ... so there is a sense that there is caring beyond this vaccine,” Larson said.
About the author
William Worley@willrworley
Will Worley is the Climate Correspondent for Devex, covering the intersection of development and climate change. He previously worked as UK Correspondent, reporting on the FCDO and British aid policy during a time of seismic reforms. Will’s extensive reporting on the UK aid cuts saw him shortlisted for ‘Specialist Journalist of the Year’ in 2021 by the British Journalism Awards. He can be reached at william.worley@devex.com.
