Ministry warns on vaccine misinformation

Health and Child Care Permanent Secretary Dr Aspect Maunganidze has warned that the spread of vaccine misinformation on social media is becoming a major threat to immunisation programmes across Africa, calling on public health leaders to strengthen science-based communication.

Speaking at the official opening of the 2026 East and Southern Africa Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) Managers' Meeting, Dr Maunganidze said false information about vaccines is spreading rapidly, undermining public confidence and decades of progress in disease prevention.

"Vaccine confidence remains a critical regional health priority," he said.

"While community engagement has helped ease traditional hesitancy, we are now confronting growing resistance among educated and influential groups who amplify social media misinformation. Access to information does not always mean accurate information."

Dr Maunganidze said the increasing circulation of misleading content online was threatening the success of immunisation programmes and urged health authorities to adopt more effective communication strategies grounded in scientific evidence.

He stressed that strengthening public confidence in vaccines requires more than presenting scientific facts, saying health professionals must engage communities in ways that take into account cultural contexts while addressing concerns openly and honestly.

"Vaccines remain among the safest, most rigorously tested, and most effective interventions ever developed, saving millions of lives," he said.

"We must continue to champion evidence over misinformation and science over speculation."

The Permanent Secretary said protecting vaccine confidence remains essential to sustaining immunisation programmes and preventing outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases across the region.