RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 The Role of Sudanese Doctors in the United Kingdom in Mitigating COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy Among Their Diaspora Communities
JF Global Health: Science and Practice
JO GLOB HEALTH SCI PRACT
FD Johns Hopkins University- Global Health. Bloomberg School of Public Health, Center for Communication Programs
SP e2200447
DO 10.9745/GHSP-D-22-00447
VO 11
IS 3
A1 Ahmed Hashim
A1 Yusri Taha
YR 2023
UL http://www.ghspjournal.org/content/11/3/e2200447.abstract
AB Key FindingsDiaspora health care professionals can assist in mitigating COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy for members of their respective diaspora communities who share similar ethnocultural characteristics and societal environments.The campaign’s diversification of speakers, methods, and educational platforms coupled with constant reinforcement of positive messages were critical to harnessing motivation among diaspora minorities with an engendered feeling of mistrust in the vaccine development and deployment process.Key ImplicationsThe unmediated interaction and crossover of false information between groups of the same ethnic and cultural backgrounds living abroad and those living in their home countries impacts global vaccine uptake and requires attention.The use of health care professionals from the same societal and cultural background to alleviate vaccine hesitancy among ethnic minorities should receive more support and investigation.People from ethnic minority groups are at risk of adverse sequelae of COVID-19, but their vaccine acceptance and enrollment rates remain suboptimal. Diaspora communities are unique in that they continue to engage in epistemic networks related to vaccination with dwellers in their country of origin. We describe the COVID-19 vaccine awareness campaign we conducted from January 2021 to November 2021 for Sudanese diaspora groups in the United Kingdom and the various techniques and methods used by health care professionals from the same ethnocultural background to address vaccine reluctance among this cohort. We explore the impact of our joint efforts with local authorities in Sudan to overcome the initial barriers to the national vaccination program in Sudan. The influence of the intercommunication between the diaspora and their relatives at home regarding COVID-19 vaccine misinformation is also discussed. Finally, we highlight these observations as key areas for future research to improve the global impact of vaccine deployment in pandemic situations.