Welcome to the DCEU newsletter. This newsletter provides updates on a weekly basis, tracking trends and misinformation for regional officers in five regions affected by polio: Eastern and Southern Africa (ESARO), Middle East and North Africa (MENARO), South Asia (ROSA), West and Central Africa (WCARO), and Europe and Central Asia (ECARO).
We will link to screenshots of misinformation in each of the sections below so you can see what is spreading. All identifying information in the images has been obscured. Repeating the falsehoods or passing along this misinformation to the public can reinforce the misinformation and increase its reach. Direct links to misinformation are often deleted or removed, sometimes by the bad actors themselves and at times because the misinformation violates the policies of social media companies.
In the aftermath of the devastating earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, some social media users accused UNICEF of taking advantage of the disaster to promote polio vaccines that are “banned in Western countries.” Vaccine opponents often use major news events to push misinformation, and this tragedy is no exception. If you see this rhetoric in your region, emphasizing that the risk of infectious disease spread increases in the aftermath of natural disasters is recommended. Messaging may also explain that health care services, including vaccinations, help protect people in the wake of disasters.
A year ago this month, Malawi reported its first wild polio case in three decades. In the last 12 months, the country and its neighbors Mozambique, Zambia, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe launched synchronized mass polio immunization campaigns that have delivered over 80 million vaccine doses to more than 33 million children. Malawi has not reported any other polio cases, while Mozambique has reported eight, with the last detected six months ago. Coordination between the countries and months of community engagement contributed to the campaigns’ success. At least five rounds of polio vaccine drives are planned for this year.
As countries in southern Africa focus on polio, leaders throughout the continent are emphasizing the importance of restoring routine vaccination campaigns to pre-pandemic levels. As many as 8.4 million African children missed vaccines in 2021, and vaccination rates for diseases like measles have dropped well below recommended levels.
The transmission of cVDPV2 remains a pressing concern as Nigeria reports four cases, including its first of 2023, and Indonesia reports its second of the year. Chad reported seven cVDPV2 cases last week, and DR Congo reported six.
Eastern and Southern Africa (ESARO): Botswana and Kampala host polio vaccine drives; a Somali district welcomes a mobile health camp.
Middle East and North Africa (MENARO): Yemeni official warns of “health catastrophe” in Houthi-controlled regions.
South Asia (ROSA): Polio team attacked in Faisalabad.
West and Central Africa (WCARO): New Gavi CEO has roots in Nigeria’s polio fight.
Europe and Central Asia (ECARO): War and natural disaster impact vaccinations in the region.
Eastern and Southern Africa (ESARO)
News and updates
The Botswana Ministry of Health is launching two national OPV campaigns targeting all children ages 7 and younger. The three-day door-to-door campaigns will begin on February 23 and March 30.
On Sunday, Uganda’s health ministry completed a door-to-door polio vaccine drive in Kampala. The ministry hosted a media training workshop in the days leading up to the campaign.
For the first time in a decade, the Somali district of Jamame welcomed a health camp supported by WHO and the Ministry of Health. The WHO mobile health teams provide health services, including vaccinations for thousands of children.
Emerging misinformation
Rwanda
Posts accuse Bill Gates of causing and profiting from epidemics A Rwandan news site covered an interview in which Bill Gates discusses the risk of future disease epidemics. The interview has received responses that imply that the billionaire is responsible for epidemics, including the COVID-19 pandemic. Other commenters call Gates demonic and suggest that he is profiting from disease outbreaks.
🟡 Risk assessment: Medium risk
The Gates Foundation supports polio eradication efforts worldwide, and there is no evidence that the organization's work has bad intentions or is part of an effort to control people. These fears of international interference and the motivations behind foreign aid are widespread. Continuing to use prebunking messages to inform the public about how local health ministries work with international aid organizations and transparently reporting on their purpose and results is recommended.
Zambia
Polio campaign spurs claims that the vaccine is unsafe and untested In response to a post promoting an upcoming polio vaccine campaign, several commenters questioned why the vaccine is administered so often. One parent says they will no longer vaccinate their children because “too much of everything is bad,” while others insist the vaccine has too many adverse effects. Another post insinuates that the vaccines are being tested on African people.
🟡 Risk assessment: Medium risk
Debunking polio misinformation takes time. Conspiracies that vaccines are meant to control or eliminate populations will persist, as they have existed for decades. In some cases, as in Africa, concerns regarding medical experimentation are understandable. Experts agree that depopulation conspiracies circulating in communities that have experienced unethical medical research or experimentation can only be combated by first acknowledging that serious abuses have occurred in the past and that these abuses are what led to the safeguards that exist now. Continuing to emphasize that the polio vaccine is extremely safe and rigorously tested is recommended, as is highlighting that polio vaccination programs are run by local ministries of health without Western interference.
Middle East and North Africa (MENARO)
News and updates
Yemen’s minister of information, culture and tourism warned of a pending “health catastrophe” in Houthi-controlled regions amid reports of growing disease outbreaks. Houthi leaders have reportedly blocked the distribution of vaccines and promoted misinformation about polio vaccine safety. The country reported 160 cVDPV2 cases last year, more than any other nation.
Emerging misinformation
Yemen
Viral video shows a Houthi leader repenting for promoting vaccines A video clip with over 25,000 views purportedly shows a Houthi militia leader repenting for promoting polio, measles, and hepatitis B vaccines.
🟡 Risk assessment: Medium risk
Although the video has mostly been mocked by those sharing it, the clip underscores how far-reaching vaccine misinformation is. Continuing to monitor vaccine misinformation related to moral or religious motivations is recommended. Consider countering this misinformation by partnering with trusted faith leaders to use prebunking tactics to explain that all major religions around the world support vaccines. Messaging may also emphasize that many religious leaders believe that it's through prayer and faith that we have access to the medicines and vaccines that keep our children safe from terrible diseases. Emphasizing that the polio vaccine is the only way to protect children from polio is recommended.
Egypt, Syria
Images promote fake natural polio remedies Several posts are promoting carob and orange oil as a natural cure for polio and a variety of other health issues.
🟢 Risk assessment: Low risk
Responding to each piece of misinformation may detract from priority talking points. While this piece of misinformation had low engagement, it’s an example of the persistence of myths around so-called “natural” cures for polio. Continuing to use prebunking messaging to emphasize that polio has no cure and that vaccination is the only way to protect against the disease is recommended.
South Asia (ROSA)
News and updates
Four brothers were arrested in Faisalabad, Pakistan, for assaulting two polio workers after preventing them from administering vaccines to their children. The city recently surpassed its vaccine campaign goal of immunizing 1.53 million children against polio.
Emerging misinformation
India
Post claims that polio is caused by industrial chemicals A social media post claims that poliovirus never existed and that polio was actually caused by the insecticide Paris green and the pesticide DDT.
🟡 Risk assessment: Medium risk
The myth that polio and other vaccine-preventable diseases are caused by environmental factors has been used to argue against the use of vaccines for decades. Debunking messaging may explain that polio is caused by poliovirus, not by exposure to insecticides, pesticides, or any other chemical. In addition, messaging may emphasize that all countries that have eradicated polio have done so using the polio vaccine.
India
Post claims Gates and Fauci made a dangerous polio vaccine In response to a post about Bill Gates, a social media user claims that the billionaire collaborated with former U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Dr. Anthony Fauci to create a polio vaccine that injured over 500,000 in India.
🟡 Risk assessment: Medium risk
This post is an example of the continued circulation of conspiracy theories linking prominent figures in the global health community to depopulation plans or false claims about medical testing and research. Consider countering misinformation by using prebunking messages to explain that polio vaccines are responsible for eliminating wild polio in India, which has been polio-free for 12 years, and in countries worldwide. Reiterating key messages about the safety of the polio vaccine is also recommended.
West and Central Africa (WCARO)
News and updates
The newly appointed CEO of Gavi is the Nigeria-born physician Dr. Muhammad Ali Pate, whose anti-polio work with the National Primary Health Care Development Agency in Nigeria laid the groundwork for wild polio elimination in the country. Health officials and community stakeholders in Nigeria are continuing the fight against cVDPV2. This work was recognized recently by the Expert Review Committee for Polio Eradication and Routine Immunization.
Emerging misinformation
Burkina Faso
Video claims that polio vaccines contain cancer-causing viruses A social media user in Burkina Faso shared a video claiming that a scientist at the pharmaceutical company Merck “admitted” that polio vaccines contain leukemia and cancer-causing viruses, specifically simian virus 40 (SV40).
🟡 Risk assessment: Medium risk
Between 1955 and 1961, some polio vaccine batches were contaminated with SV40, which can cause cancer in rodents. Consider countering misinformation by explaining that there is no evidence that SV40 causes cancer in humans, and no polio vaccine administered since 1963 has contained SV40 contamination. Prebunking messaging may continue to emphasize key talking points: The polio vaccine is safe and the only way to eradicate polio.
Nigeria
Posts blame Gates for egg shortages and “poison” polio vaccines In response to an image blaming Bill Gates for the current chicken and egg shortages in the U.S., a user calls the philanthropist “the enemy of the world” who “poisoned millions of children in Nigeria” with the polio vaccine.
🟢 Risk assessment: Low risk
The relatively low engagement on the post lowers the risk of this misinformation. Continuing to emphasize key messages is recommended: Vaccines are safe and save lives. You are far more likely to be hurt by a vaccine-preventable disease than by a vaccine. Prebunking messaging may explain that egg shortages in the U.S. and around the world are the result of an ongoing global avian flu outbreak, which is the worst in recorded history.
Europe and Central Asia (ECARO)
News and updates
Ukraine’s Rivne region has vaccinated 88 percent of children, including over 90 percent of infants. With support from WHO, a fleet of 59 buses will be administering vaccinations throughout the country, which has suffered a loss of health facilities since Russia’s invasion last year.
An infectious disease expert warns that the recent earthquakes in Turkey put the country at increased risk of disease outbreaks.
The Ministry of Health for the Republic of Dagestan will launch a week-long polio immunization campaign, beginning February 27.
Emerging misinformation
Turkey
Posts question why vaccines are being distributed after disasters Several social media posts accuse UNICEF of using disasters to promote vaccines. In the aftermath of the devastating earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, a social media user claims that the organization is promoting polio vaccines that are “banned in Western countries.”
🔴 Risk assessment: High risk
The sensitive, widespread nature of the misinformation increases its risk. Emphasizing that the risk of infectious disease spread increases in the aftermath of natural disasters is recommended. Normal health care services, including vaccinations, help protect people in the wake of disasters. Prebunking messaging may also explain that the polio vaccine is promoted by governments and health officials because it is the key to ridding the world of polio, which can only be eradicated when every child is vaccinated.
The Public Good Projects, 401 Park Ave S, 10th Floor, Ste 1010, New York, NY 10016, United States
