Experts have been warning about the potential for an outbreak of vaccine-preventable diseases among children due to declining immunisation rates during the Covid-19 pandemic.
So far this year the National Institute for Communicable Diseases has issued reports on three different outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases – measles, mumps and diphtheria. Elri Voigt spoke to local experts about what this tells us about the country’s immunisation programme and the potent.
It is a phobia that can be treated with counselling
Enzymes in the stomach make oral vaccines difficult to absorb
Needle phobia is when one feels anxious about a needle being inserted into your body, whether to administer medication, vaccines or draw blood. It is an anxiety disorder that can lead some people to faint or send their blood pressure skyrocketing, according to a Health24 article.
As South Africa and other countries are inoculating their citizens with Covid-19 vaccines, many people are having to face their fear of needles to get protection against SARS-CoV-2. Health24 spoke to two experts about helping people cope with their needle phobia and why most vaccines are administered through injections.
Can the World Learn From South Africaâs Vaccine Trials?
Vaccine trials are often done in wealthier countries. Scientists say the South Africa experience proves the value of trials in the global south.
Vaccine trials are underway at the Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital in Soweto, South Africa. Pharmaceutical companies conduct relatively few trials in poorer countries.Credit.Joao Silva/The New York Times
Published March 13, 2021Updated April 7, 2021
In a year that has seesawed between astonishing gains and brutal setbacks on Covid-19, few moments were as sobering as the revelation last month that a coronavirus variant in South Africa was dampening the effect of one of the worldâs most potent vaccines.