Building vaccine confidence among health workers in Ethiopia and Nigeria

The introduction of the COVID-19 vaccine has highlighted the problem of vaccine hesitancy in Africa. This trend is in part driven by the spread of anti-vaccine information on social media.

As this gains further traction, it could lead to a sharp increase in vaccine hesitancy rates and weaken confidence in other essential vaccines. Several studies have established widespread vaccine hesitancy among health workers in Africa.

The aim of this project is to develop and evaluate an innovative peer-led social media intervention that addresses vaccine concerns among health workers in  Ethiopia and Nigeria.

These countries were selected because of observed vaccine hesitancy among health workers and because social media use is very common. The intervention will be co-designed by health workers; thereafter peers will promote the messages on social media.

The impact of the intervention on the vaccination status of health workers will be assessed through a cluster-randomised trial.

Targeting health workers can have positive ripple effects; vaccines can protect health workers as well as the patients they care for, thereby preserving the health system.

Increasing trust among health workers can also have the positive effect of building confidence in essential childhood vaccines among the wider population as they are influential role models. Addressing vaccine hesitancy and the underlying misinformation can help build higher acceptance of future vaccines.