THREATS FROM ANTI-VACCINE CONSPIRACY THEORIES TO BE LAID BARE AT CONFERENCE
▶ Abu Dhabi gathering to hear about life-saving drone deliveries and spread of falsehoods in the developing world
New technology allows life-saving vaccinations to be delivered to isolated communities but also fuels the spread of anti-immunisation propaganda in the developing world, said the head of a charity that has saved millions of lives.
Dr Seth Berkley, chief executive of vaccines alliance Gavi, said high-tech drones are flying vaccines and other supplies to remote areas in Rwanda, and the programme is ready to expand rapidly to other countries.
Other innovations, such as solar-powered fridges, are solving problems about how to preserve vaccines on journeys to hard-to-reach areas without a reliable electricity supply.
But as he prepares to deliver a progress report on his organisation’s work to donors in Abu Dhabi this week, Dr Berkley revealed challenges in dealing with “epidemics of disinformation”, spread on WhatsApp and Twitter and fuelled by fake Russian bots and trolls.
The availability of the internet and smartphones, even in poor countries, is making it easier to promote fake news and conspiracy theories claiming vaccinations are dangerous, he said.
Many of the theories have echoes of previously debunked claims, including that of a link between the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine and autism.
“In the developing world, people see the reasons to get vaccines,” Dr Berkley said. “What we’re seeing, though, are questions being raised and there have been a few examples of WhatsApp type rumours that have spread.
“We are seeing more and more problems with misinformation in developing countries. It is very hard to control and we suspect this is going to grow over time.
“Recently it’s gone further. Russian bots used to cause confusion in elections have begun to be used on anti-vaccine slogans.
“The reason they’re doing that is it just creates disruption in society if you have an outbreak of disease and a loss of trust.”
Gavi is trying to recruit trusted local figures, such as politicians, doctors and other civic leaders, to reassure the public about the safety of vaccines.
Hundreds of delegates from across the world will gather in Abu Dhabi for the summit, which comes halfway through Gavi’s latest programme, which runs in four-year cycles.
Set up in 2000 and run through a partnership between world governments, charitable foundations and the private sector, it has helped to immunise about 700 million people, saving an estimated 10 million lives. The UAE is a major donor to Gavi.
Dr Berkley said the organisation would show that it was making its targets despite new challenges, including record numbers of refugees and a growing number of people living in urban slums, where diseases can spread quickly.
The organisation is pioneering new technology, with health supplies being delivered by drone in Rwanda. There, a journey that could take hours over inhospitable terrain can be completed in 20 minutes.
An order is sent by text message to a distribution centre, where workers load a drone with supplies.
“If you get bitten by a rabid dog, it’s 100 per cent fatal,” Dr Berkley said.
He said the rabies vaccine, if administered before symptoms show, is effective.
“The challenge is that it is expensive and you have to make sure it’s available. So if someone comes into a health clinic in Rwanda and needs a rabies vaccine, they can send a text and 20 minutes later the rabies vaccine is there.
“Or if you’re out in a rural area doing a catch-up campaign and you ran out of a specific vaccine, you could have that 20 minutes later. Soon, some other countries are going to be moving on that so we’ll be seeing it operating in some other areas as well.”
High-tech fridges, meanwhile, mean vaccines can be moved over greater distances. Most must to be stored at low temperatures to remain effective, which causes challenges where infrastructure is poor.
The sophisticated solar-powered fridges, which stay on even in overcast weather, were developed with Gavi’s help. Although expensive, they have a longer lifespan and require less maintenance.
“We’re talking about tens of thousands of new fridges that are being distributed across the world,” Dr Berkley said. “About 25 per cent of those are going to places that have not had a coldchain before and that’s made a tremendous difference.
“I’ll show some data in my presentation on Tuesday of some of the dramatic changes that can occur in a country just by adding a few fridges to a district.”
Dozens of government officials will be at the event, the Health Minister from the Democratic Republic of Congo cancelled at the last minute to deal with an Ebola outbreak in his country. It has spread to Butembo, a major city in eastern Congo.
Attempts to send an as-yet-unlicensed vaccine to the region, which has proved successful in containing previous outbreaks, has been hampered by conflict and instability.