Extracts below and a comment from me. Full text here: https://chwcentral.org/chw_voices/when-trust-opens-the-door-to-vaccinati...
==
My name is Sama Sarki Moussa. I am a Community Health Worker and student based in Niamey, Niger... My primary role is to support vaccination campaigns, raise awareness among families, and serve as a link between the community and health centers. Every day, I see that vaccines save lives, but not everyone can easily access them or is ready to accept them...
During a recent vaccination campaign, our team was responsible for mobilizing families to vaccinate their children against several diseases. Once in the field, we quickly observed considerable hesitation among some households.
Some families refused to open their doors. Others claimed that vaccines made children sick or caused infertility. These rumors were circulating on social media and through conversations within the community. In some cases, parents were afraid because they misunderstood potential side effects...
Instead of relying on general awareness messages, I began organizing discussions in small groups, sometimes in front of people’s homes and sometimes with community leaders... The support of neighborhood leaders and certain religious leaders proved decisive. When they publicly encouraged vaccination, many families felt reassured...
This experience taught me that misinformation cannot be overcome through confrontation, but through listening...
We need:
Continuous training to better respond to rumors and emerging forms of misinformation.
Communication materials that are adapted to local realities.
Adequate logistical support.
Clear recognition of our role within the health system.
Vaccination campaigns succeed when communities feel respected and listened to. Community Health Workers are at the heart of that relationship...
==
COMMENT (NPW): This account emphasises the importance of 'the support of neighborhood leaders and certain religious leaders'. At the same time, we hear that in many countries religious leaders are part of the problem, notably in parti of Afghanistan, Pakistan and Nigeria where may health workers have been murdered as a result of misinformation. Why are some religious leaders so resistant to understanding?
Best wishes, Neil
HIFA profile: Neil Pakenham-Walsh is coordinator of HIFA (Healthcare Information For All), a global health community that brings all stakeholders together around the shared goal of universal access to reliable healthcare information. HIFA has 20,000 members in 180 countries, interacting in four languages and representing all parts of the global evidence ecosystem. HIFA is administered by Global Healthcare Information Network, a UK-based nonprofit in official relations with the World Health Organization. Email: neil@hifa.org