MANDERA, Kenya, Sept 28 – Though significant progress has been made in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, governments across the world are working tirelessly to ensure that efforts to combat its spread are continuously enhanced.
In Kenya, a total of 3.6 million vaccines have so far been administered to citizens across the country with 2.7 million receiving the first dose of the vaccine while 889,298 have received the second jab so far- as of September 27, 2021.
As critical as an exercise the vaccination drive is, the government continues to express concern over vaccine intake nationwide, despite its availability at the sub-county level.
In the country’s North Eastern County of Mandera, a worrying trend deep-rooted in myths has emerged and is being blamed for the low uptake of the vaccine.
As a result, health professionals are already working round the clock, organizing regular public engagements to try and demystify the myths.
Government officials in the area say women are the majority consumers of these myths leading to depressingly low uptake in vaccination efforts.
According to the county’s health department, a good number of women hold the belief that once vaccinated, their arms become ‘magnetic’ or magnetized.
A total of 2,107 people have been fully inoculated while 2,853 are yet to receive their second dose as the government embarks on a sensitization drive in the County.
Abdi Maalim, the County Director of health services attributed the low uptake of the vaccine to locally fabricated myths.
“We are faced with challenges of so many myths against the vaccine but we are doing our best to debunk them,” he said during an interview with Shahidi News.
The magnetic body myth is fast spreading in rural areas like bush fire and chiefs are now bestowed with the responsibility of ensuring correct information is shared.
The myth is not just only in Mandera but is worldwide and has forced the Centre for Disease Control (CDC) to wade in.
CDC issued a statement on the same after a video clip of a woman showing how a coin gets stuck on her arm after being vaccinated emerged.
The video clip doing rounds on social media emerged from Belgium.
“No. Receiving a COVID-19 vaccine will not make you magnetic, including at the site of vaccination which is usually your arm,” a statement from the center reads.
The statement further states, “Vaccines are all free of metals such as iron, nickel, cobalt, lithium, and rare earth alloys, as well as any manufactured products such as microelectronics, electrodes, carbon nanotubes, and nanowire semiconductors that can create an electromagnetic field,” the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said in an update last week.
The agency said the dose for a COVID-19 vaccine is less than a millilitre which is not enough to allow magnets to be attracted to your arm even if the same was filled with a magnetic metal.
Ahmed Alio, a local chief in Mandera as part of a sensitization exercise, now walks with several metallic items and at least two inoculated persons. Though strange, he said it is absolutely necessary to ensure members of the community are well informed and vaccinated sooner rather than later.
His itinerary on a normal day now entails him visiting various villages or public places such as markets to sensitize locals on the importance of the vaccine as well as demystifying the ‘dangerous’ myths about arms being magnetized.
“I have to prove to them using these two people fully inoculated that the vaccine does not make one’s arm magnetic,” he said.
The myth has caused a lot of fear across the county.
“My husband showed me a video of a woman whose hand was magnetic after taking the vaccine. I won’t go for it,” said Faryha Hussein.
Another myth keeping residents away from receiving the vaccine is fear of being rendered impotent.
“Our population has come to believe that the vaccine affects their reproductive health and that is leading to poor uptake, ” said Dr. Maalim.
Men are shunning the vaccine on grounds that it is a family planning method funded by Western nations and implemented by the state.
Just like their male counterparts, females are avoiding the vaccine on similar grounds.
“We have been told not to be vaccinated because it affects our reproductive system. I want more children to fill my home,” Khadija Hassan told Shahidi News.
Mandera County has since received a total of 10,200vaccines.
Despite the national government targeting front-line workers for vaccination, only 859 security officers have been fully inoculated in the area.
121 teachers have received their double dose while 226 health workers have been fully vaccinated.
The Ministry of Health now says that it is targeting to vaccinate at least 5.8 million people by October 20 when the country will mark the Mashujaa Day festivities. Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe said the move will bring the country closer to the full reopening of the economy as it targets to vaccinate at least 10 million people by December.
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