UNICEF concerned about religious vaccine hesitancy

For the second day, the delegates of the United Nations International Children’s Fund (UNICEF) expressed concern for vaccine hesitancy from religious citizens.

Such citizens were worried they would offend God by taking vaccines as it implies that God cannot protect them. As herd immunity can only be strengthened within a country when the majority of its citizens are willing to be vaccinated, the delegates sought to find solutions to convince all members of the public to cooperate and get vaccinated. This led to delegates suggesting that they work to convince religious leaders to get vaccinated. They aimed to utilise their influence to persuade their fellow believers to get vaccinated and curb the spread of viruses and preventable diseases.

The delegates then summarised that they will work alongside Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) to convince religious leaders. They are under pressure to get this underway as viruses will eventually mutate and new strains will potentially develop. Such strains could be more contagious or deadlier than the virus originally was, posing a greater threat to affected populations. Countries will then face another challenge of safeguarding their citizens when there is already a lot on their plate, possibly worsening their situation.

Another concern the delegates brought up is that children living near rivers are more vulnerable to diseases. Thus, they proposed disinfecting rivers to reduce the spread of water-borne diseases from contaminated river water. In addition to that, the delegate of Japan proposed using disinfectants, such as sanitizers, to promote good hygiene within the community.

Furthermore, the delegate of Syria suggested that not only should hand sanitiser be given, but inventions such as the Lifestraw will allow them to drink from the river as it is able to filter the water. Over a period of time, citizens living near water bodies will no longer drink contaminated water. This will lessen the negative health effects from water-borne illnesses such as giardia, legionella, and norovirus. All will help to curb the spread of diseases, serving as an alternative solution to supplement child vaccination.