Analysis
A failed Pfizer clinical trial for a meningitis treatment conducted in Nigeria was referenced in several recent social media posts about the origins of modern vaccine hesitancy in Africa. The 1996 trial was held in Kano, Nigeria, at the height of Africa’s worst meningitis outbreak and left 11 children dead and dozens more with debilitating injuries. In response to a post about why the COVID-19 vaccination rates in Africa remain low, one social media user claims that Africans “learned to never trust the vax,” and another user references a documentary about the Kano trial, incorrectly calling it a polio vaccine trial. A Nigerian physician explained the ethical issues involved with the trial and the lasting impact it had on vaccine acceptance in the country. Notably, because a majority of the family harmed in the trial was Muslim, some religious leaders at the time accused Western companies and institutions of targeting Muslims with vaccines, a belief that persists and continues to fuel vaccine hesitancy. Conversations about the documentary are circulating worldwide.
Recommendations
The sensitive nature of the topic and the widespread reach of the claim elevate the risk. Debunking false and misleading narratives about polio and vaccines takes time. Conspiracies that vaccines are being used to harm or kill certain populations have persisted for decades, especially among populations that have been subject to unethical medical research or experimentation. Acknowledging that serious abuses have occurred and that these abuses are what led to modern safeguards is recommended, as is highlighting that local ministries of health run polio vaccination programs without Western interference. Messaging may emphasize that polio vaccines and other routine vaccines are safe and rigorously tested.