The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has blamed the low uptake of the Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines on misinformation.
Mrs Aderonke Akinola-Akinwole, a Social and Behaviour Change Specialist at UNICEF, made this known during a two-day media dialogue for journalists in Lagos.
Akinola-Akinwole explained that misinformation and disinformation have hindered the success of the vaccination efforts, discouraging people from getting the vaccine.
She noted that misconceptions about the vaccine reduce trust and increase hesitancy.
If these misconceptions are not addressed, it can lead to total vaccine rejection and consequently increase the outbreak of vaccine-preventable diseases and child mortality, NAN quoted Akinola-Akinwole as saying.
Some of these rumours and misinformation that people throw around are that the vaccine is meant to depopulate our people.
“Others even say it promotes promiscuity among girls, reduces fertility, or that the side effects result in chronic terminal diseases,” she said.
Akinola-Akinwole emphasised the need to share success stories of vaccine efficacy to correct these misconceptions and rebuild trust in the vaccine.
She urged journalists to provide accurate and consistent information on cervical cancer and the effectiveness of the HPV vaccine.
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