As youngsters refuse vaccines; Medics warn Sri Lanka’s immunization programme at risk

• An anti-vaxxers movement is forming in Sri Lanka to show their objections to the COVID-19 vaccines   
• Many youth questioned on the source of their information, have said it was social media
• Educational campaigns have been launched on the ground in all districts, attempting to clear doubts in the minds of the youth  

By JAMILA HUSAIN   

As health authorities come under severe pressure due to the lack of interest among youngsters to get the COVID-19 vaccines, medical workers yesterday warned that Sri Lanka’s immunization programme will come at risk if youngsters have no confidence on all vaccinations.   

A senior medical official told Daily Mirror that youngsters in the 20 to 29 age group had been encouraged to pose their doubts to medical workers but a majority of the questions asked were unimaginable. 

 
An anti-vaxxers movement was also forming in Sri Lanka to show their objections to the COVID-19 vaccines and as a result many youngsters were falling victim to myths and misconceptions.   

Medical officers said that when many of these youth were questioned on the source of their information, they said it was social media, where research has shown that 90 percent of the facts shared on social media were false. “This is clearly the work of anti-vaxxers. The type of questions asked by youth is sometimes very surprising as we cannot believe that these people being so educated have such low literacy,” the senior medical officer said.   
“The real problem of this movement is not COVID-19. The real problem we will see in about 5 to 10 years’ time, when these youngsters become parents. Then they will have a huge issues over childhood vaccinations and this will put Sri Lanka’s entire immunization program at risk. This is a huge problem,” the official added.   

The Health Ministry who is now feeling the heat due to the lack of interest of the youngsters to get the vaccines said the Health Promotion Bureau had launched a massive campaign on social media to encourage youngsters to get their jabs.   

Deputy Director General of Health Services Dr. Hemantha Herath told Daily Mirror that educational campaigns had also been launched on the ground in all the districts, attempting to clear doubts of the youth. Dr. Herath said that the lack of interest among this group was worrying because if these people remained unvaccinated they could spread the infection and suffer from it severely. He urged the youth to reach out to senior doctors to clear their doubts and get vaccinated so the country could return to normalcy.   

A senior medical official told Daily Mirror that youngsters in the 20 to 29 age group had been encouraged to pose their doubts to medical workers but a majority of the questions asked were unimaginable.   

An anti-vaxxers movement was also forming in Sri Lanka to show their objections to the COVID-19 vaccines and as a result many youngsters were falling victim to myths and misconceptions.   

Medical officers said that when many of these youth were questioned on the source of their information, they said it was social media, where research has shown that 90 percent of the facts shared on social media were false. “This is clearly the work of anti-vaxxers. The type of questions asked by youth is sometimes very surprising as we cannot believe that these people being so educated have such low literacy,” the senior medical officer said.   
“The real problem of this movement is not COVID-19. The real problem we will see in about 5 to 10 years’ time, when these youngsters become parents. Then they will have a huge issues over childhood vaccinations and this will put Sri Lanka’s entire immunization program at risk. This is a huge problem,” the official added.