WHO recently reported that over 100 children in Afghanistan and Pakistan were paralyzed by the wild poliovirus last year. One response asked why polio vaccines cause paralysis, while another argued they don’t work because polio still exists.
As Nigeria launched a national polio vaccination campaign, local news outlets reported that some parents are refusing polio drops for their children. Officials in Bauchi reportedly threatened to arrest parents who refuse the vaccines. While many commenters criticized the parents, others said the government should focus on other issues, such as hunger and security. Some posts also claimed that polio vaccines are haram (prohibited in Islam), bioweapons, deadly, and not effective.
Social media users in Indonesia are discussing a video about a mother refusing vaccines for her child. Some responses echoed the mother’s concerns about the safety of polio vaccines. A pediatrician responded to the video by calling on others to be compassionate and understanding of parents who are hesitant about vaccines. Although most commenters agreed with these strategies to encourage vaccination, others claimed, without evidence, that modern vaccines weaken children’s immune systems.
In a popular social media post, a Palestinian journalist wrote about Israel’s ongoing blockade preventing vaccines from entering Gaza. Responses to the post claim that Gazans don’t need vaccines, arguing that they are “poison” and that polio is a “hoax.” One post quotes a fake medical organization that condemned polio vaccines.
Online users expressed frustration that university entrance exams in North Waziristan are postponed due to “security concerns.” Some social media users questioned why polio vaccine campaigns are still scheduled despite the concerns. One post claims that polio drops are given at gunpoint. Another post says that polio campaigns will always continue because they make money for the government.
Several social media posts about polio campaigns in the Democratic Republic of the Congo received negative comments about polio vaccines. Some posts called polio vaccines “poison.” Other commenters say that the vaccines are not needed because children survive without them and the disease is “almost nonexistent.”
A local news outlet shamed Punjab community health workers who are boycotting polio vaccination campaigns because the government is outsourcing hospitals. The video states that boycotting polio campaigns is the wrong choice. Many commenters supported the boycott, calling it the “right decision.” Other posts called the government corrupt and accused newscasters of accepting money to promote the polio campaign.
In a recent statement, Pakistan’s federal minister of health said it is criminal for parents to refuse polio drops for their children. The comment received harsh criticism, with some calling the minister a criminal and accusing the government of looting polio funds. Some commenters called polio vaccines poison and questioned why other issues like child hunger aren’t being addressed. Several posts claimed that the polio vaccine is designed to “massacre” Muslims, while others promoted antisemitic conspiracy theories about Jonas Salk, the Jewish inventor of the first polio vaccine.