Analysis
Many social media users responded negatively to recent reports that the Gates Foundation will help fund a clinical trial for a new tuberculosis vaccine. Several commenters accused Bill Gates of using Indonesian people as “guinea pigs” and repeated the myth that Gates funded a polio vaccine that paralyzed thousands of Indian children. One commenter questioned an artificial intelligence chatbot about past vaccine trials and whether Gates caused outbreaks in Ethiopia with polio vaccines that had to be destroyed. The AI chatbot correctly explained that the vaccines were not destroyed because they were unsafe, but as a standard disposal process for a specific vaccine that is only used under strict WHO guidelines.
Recommendations
Some people distrust international aid organizations, like the Gates Foundation, fearing that they have sinister motives. Informing the public about how local health ministries work with international aid organizations to develop and distribute vaccines is recommended. For example, the Gates Foundation provided funding support to Bio Farma, an Indonesian company that produces vaccines that protect children in countries around the world. The company is managed by the Indonesian government without foreign interference. Messaging may explain that the polio vaccine, like all vaccines, is thoroughly tested to ensure safety.