The Central African Republic continues to face numerous epidemic and pandemic diseases that pose a public health threat. Each year, cases are recorded, and vaccination campaigns are conducted to address these diseases. A recent example is the measles vaccination campaign launched on December 14 in Central Africa by the Ministry of Health in partnership with UNICEF, aimed at preventing and combating diseases that affect the population, particularly children. However, conspiracy theories and rumors are circulating about these vaccines. This is the case with the polio vaccine.
A persistent rumor about polio vaccines in the CAR has been circulating throughout the latter months of 2023 and remains recurrent. This rumor is likely to undermine the vaccination campaign against this disease, and it also fosters skepticism and resistance among parents, particularly women, regarding vaccinating their children.
The rumor claims that the polio vaccine causes infertility in children who receive it. Spread through word of mouth, the rumor suggests:
“Polio vaccination makes the vaccinated person, especially children, sterile when they grow up,” which is false and unfounded according to research conducted by CAC with health specialists.
Verification:
To verify this information, Centrafrique Check consulted health specialists and the head of the Mother and Child Center, and also gathered testimony from a mother.
Dr. Nebanga Valentin, head of public health promotion at the Ministry of Public Health and Population, stated: “I confirm that this information is false. The polio vaccine protects anyone who receives it from the poliovirus.”
Similarly, we interviewed Clémentine Pulchérie Amboryot, a midwife at the Mother and Child Center: “As a health professional, from the beginning of my career until today as I approach retirement, I have not encountered such information. On the contrary, the polio vaccine protects children against this disease.”
Colette Dangoussi, a mother of five and grandmother of ten, living in the Basse Kotto neighborhood in the 5th arrondissement of Bangui, testified: “I was vaccinated against this disease myself, and today I have given birth to ten children. None of my children have missed the polio vaccination, and they have all been able to have children as well.”
According to the World Health Organization (WHO): “The oral polio vaccine (OPV) is safe and effective, and each additional dose strengthens the child’s protection against polio. Multiple doses of OPV are needed for complete immunity.”
The WHO further asserts that the polio vaccine poses no danger:
“The oral polio vaccine is not dangerous for sick children. In fact, it is particularly important to vaccinate them during campaigns, just like newborns, because their immunity levels are lower than those of other children. All sick children and all newborns should be vaccinated during upcoming campaigns to provide them with the protection against polio that they desperately need.”
After verification, the rumor that the polio vaccine causes infertility in children in the future is false and lacks scientific basis.
Article completed and edited by Esdras Michael Ndamoyen.
