Ward-based case studies of vaccine hesitancy and the COVID-19 response in South Africa
Abstract
Research on vaccine hesitancy in South Africa is scarce; most studies on this topic have been conducted in high-income countries (Cooper, Betsch et al. 2018; Cooper, Okeibunor et al. 2019). However, available evidence suggests that vaccine hesitancy is a growing issue in the country. For example, in a study amongst national and provincial Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) managers, hesitancy amongst parents to have their children vaccinated was identified as one of the main challenges facing vaccination programmes (Wiysonge, Ngcobo et al. 2012). It has also been suggested that vaccine hesitancy played a significant role in the various measles outbreaks in South Africa between 2003 and 2011 (Siegfried, Wiysonge et al. 2010; Schoub 2011; Burnett 2015). Another study conducted between 2011 and 2013 found that web pages expressing anti-vaccination sentiment about childhood vaccination in South Africa increased significantly during that time (Baker 2015; Burnett, von Gogh et al. 2015)
