The biggest decision facing the Anguillian people right now is whether to take or not to take the Astra-Zeneca vaccine which is expected to arrive on island in February. This vaccine is being made available to the Anguillian people courtesy of the United Kingdom Government. The Ministry of Health has begun its public awareness campaign amidst great trepidation among members of the public about the safety of the vaccine. There is so much propaganda surrounding the vaccine that many people seem more afraid of the vaccine than of the Covid-19 virus. This will make the Ministry of Health’s job even more challenging as its members have to debunk the many myths and misconceptions surrounding the vaccine in order to get sufficient people to be vaccinated so as to create immunity in the population.
I believe the fears surrounding the vaccine are the result of a lack of trust. Many persons are questioning how was it possible to develop a vaccine in such a short time when scientists still can’t find cures for certain diseases (both communicable and non-communicable) that have been around for decades — even centuries. They are therefore concerned as to whether the vaccine is really safe; whether the research was sufficiently thorough so that there are no unintended life-threatening side effects; whether the trials were conducted long enough that the results can be relied upon. These are all legitimate concerns which our health team must be prepared to address.
It doesn’t help that there are stories around the world, even in what are considered the developed countries, where scientists and humanitarian organisations have failed to protect the health and wellbeing of the persons under their care, either deliberately or unintentionally. The 1930s Tuskegee Experiment on the Study of Untreated Syphilis in Negro Males is one such example. Six hundred African-American men in Alabama, USA, signed up for the experiment (two thirds of whom had syphilis), on the promise of free healthcare. However, the men were not informed of the real nature of the study which was to track the full progression of the disease in participants until they died. As the men became more and more ill during the experiment, they were treated for ailments but not for syphilis, even though penicillin became available during the period of the trial. As a result, many participants died after having passed on the disease to their spouses and some of their children at birth, before the study was stopped 40 years later. Canada’s worst public health scandal is another example of the failure of systems and organisations to exercise due care in dealing with people’s health. In the 1980s approximately 2000 people contracted HIV and 30,000 people contracted Hepatitis C from infected blood distributed by the Canadian Red Cross. While both scenarios are different from vaccine distribution, they highlight situations in which unethical practices, and the lack of effective checks and balances, can have disastrous health consequences for patients and their families.
I believe we have come a long way from those horror stories — and there have been significant advances in scientific research, and in ensuring that robust quality assurance mechanisms are in place when producing medicinal products to treat ailments in people. Our health team now has the arduous task of reminding persons of the progress that has been made — and build public confidence in the safety of the vaccine.
Admittedly, I too had to think long and hard about whether or not to take the vaccine. However, I trust our health team. Its members have kept us safe during Covid-19 so much so that, unlike our nearest Caribbean neighbours, we can go about our daily lives as normal. I have full confidence that they have done their research, made their enquiries — and they are convinced that this vaccine is safe for us to take. They believe that this is our best option to survive the Covid-19 pandemic. This vaccine is key to us protecting ourselves and getting our economy back on track. The ball is now in our court. I am ready to register! Are you?
