Abstract
The study focuses on the Partnership to Accelerate COVID-19 Testing (PACT) project in West Africa (Senegal, Cape Verde, Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana), which aimed to achieve 70% vaccination coverage. In Senegal, 350 community health workers (ACS) were mobilized to raise awareness of vaccination among the population. This case study raises the political science question of the challenges of health democracy. The objective was to reach 2,835,000 people in three health districts (1,012,500 in Dakar-Nord, 607,500 in Sangalkam and 1,225,000 in Touba). Sampling was purposive. Thirty (30) semi-structured interviews were conducted in April 2023 with institutional players, the laboratory in charge of the PACT project and the CHA network. Lastly, a series of observations were made during supervision sessions. CHAs reached 84% of people in households. 39% accepted vaccination, of whom only 0.4371% were vaccinated. In Dakar-Nord, 46.78% of the causes of reluctance were rumours, and 56.27% were linked to the political context. Inadequate communication (100%) and the opinion of parents (82.87%) also blocked the process. In Touba, the sacredness of the area means that local people consider the vaccine unnecessary. Misinformation was present thanks to social networks (100%). In Sangalkam, rumors of death and sexual impotence have led to a fear of the vaccine (100%). This can be explained by the absence of a communication strategy supported by community players. The involvement of CHAs in the response is considered late.
Presenters
Mame Adama SarrStudent, PhD, Gaston Berger University, Saint-Louis, Senegal Elhadji Mbaye
Head of Health and Social Science Unit, IRESSEF: Institut de Recherche en Santé, de Surveillance Epidemioloque et de Formations, Senegal
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
2024 Special Focus—Health for Democracy, Democracy for Health
KEYWORDS
COVID-19, Pandemic, Sociology of Social A ccess, Democracy
Digital Media
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