Analysis
Global news outlets and social media users debated the role of international aid following reports that the U.S. plans to terminate funding for GAVI. News articles warned that the cuts will threaten millions of lives and lead to preventable disease outbreaks. Several social media users proposed herbal remedies and “natural immunity” as an alternative to vaccines, while others alleged that vaccines harm children and target black people for depopulation.
Recommendations
Misleading narratives that cast doubt on the safety and necessity of routine vaccines may cause hesitancy and cause parents to refuse life-saving immunizations for their children. Explaining that polio has no cure and allowing children to catch vaccine-preventable diseases to gain “natural immunity” puts them at unnecessary risk of serious illness and death is recommended. Messaging may continue to emphasize key talking points: The polio vaccine is safe and the only way to eradicate polio.