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Published:
Oct 26, 2021Keywords:
Vaccine hesitancy; vaccines; public health; COVID-19; vaccine acceptance; immunisation; South Africa.
Article Details
Issue
Section
Opinion (Open Forum)
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Main Article Content
Fake news and fallacies: Exploring vaccine hesitancy in South Africa
Avania Bangalee
Varsha Bangalee
Abstract
Historically, vaccine hesitancy (VH) has been a thorn in the side of public health efforts to contain and eradicate infectious diseases. This phenomenon is magnified in light of the current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Surveys conducted across South Africa since the outbreak of COVID-19 demonstrate the complexity of factors that contribute towards VH in this population. Amidst the negative press that the COVID-19 vaccine has received, especially across social media, understanding and combatting VH remains important to achieve herd immunity. This article aims to shed light on key factors fuelling COVID-19 VH in South Africa and provides a framework from which to address this problem.
