The chronicles of vaccines in Nigeria

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According to science, vaccinations were created to be the protection shielding humanity from fatal and transmittable diseases. Whenever there is any form of outbreak or a potential pandemic, scientist with different fields of disease hit the lab with the goal of producing some sort of vaccine capable of combating it before the worst happens. A lot of people are alive today because of these live saving discoveries. Illnesses that have both crippled and ended lives have been brought to their heels, countered at a cellular level and eradicated just from its symptoms thanks to modern day vaccines.
Yet in an era where humans are meant to represent the pinnacle of development, people still publicly sing awful rumors about the dangers that come with taking vaccines especially in this part of the world. They even go the extreme mile of spreading this flawed Information on social media cooking up stories for global consumption with little to no evidence to back up their claims. What's worse is that these solutions that are known to be tested and trusted for years saving countless lives ends up becoming a joke with masses buying into it at just the click of a button by some dude trying so hard to make himself relevant. Over the years I have heard numerous conspiracy theories about vaccines and these are some of the craziest rumors in Nigeria.

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Let's start it off with the conspiracies tied to the COVID 19 vaccine. The Corona virus was a global pandemic that took the entire world by storm, it was first announced in 2019 originating from China. After killing a lot of people in China, it further spread to other parts of the until planet earth experienced total lockdown in 2020 to further transmission as it was believed to be airborne.
After the vaccine for the virus was created, passed through its final phase of approval and was finally dispersed globally, the first rumor was born. Till this day I still can't pinpoint where this particular conspiracy sprang up from but it was wholeheartedly accepted by the masses. Apparently it was believed that the virus was a rich man's disease sent by God to punish the rich as they were the ones affected by it and so there was no need to take the vaccine as the poverty in their blood makes them immune to it. A lot of folks wholeheartedly believed in this silliness and to be honest back then I was also a part of its believers. We still clustered in crowded places, made close contacts with people and ignored the use of face masks all until news of its poor first victim in Nigeria became the trending topic🤣🤣🤣.
Next was the rumor that the vaccine causes a high rate of infertility both in men and women. Nigerians became more skeptical about this vaccine as it was portrayed to be a barricade against one of the things they cherish most and believe to be their responsibility to society - childbearing. According to this particular conspiracy, a few months after taking the vaccine shot, it moves down the reproductive organs of both sides and begins to cause irreversible damage. This particular rumor was not very popular back then and so it did not really trend for long before it was replaced by something else.
The final nail on the coffin and the worst of all was news of the COVID 19 vaccine created as a tool by the devil to share the mark of the beast 666. This was the most popular rumor about this vaccination in my beloved country. Some religious fanatics kick started this conspiracy and Nigerians being the ever overzealous religious people that they are completely bought this idea out of fear of missing out on paradise. My own parents straight up warned me to completely refrain from taking any vaccine that has to do with corona and I should them any time they find their way around my vicinity. This particular news was a massive threat that hindered the distribution of this vaccine around the country and with all full confidence I am ready to bet that 80% of Nigerians refused taking the vaccine out of fear of going to hell,🤣🤣.

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There are still lots of rumors about different vaccines. However the focus of this write up is solely centered on COVID 19 vaccination. It took me quite some time but after years of exposure, continuous learning, I have come to accept vaccines for what they truly are, tools to protect not destroy and once when we receive them, it is already one step towards living a healthy life. I believe it is not our right to be vaccinated but also our duty to the public because protecting yourself from diseases will also restrict its spread to people around you.
Thank you all