By AFPMore by this AuthorThe task of introducing a vaccine for the coronavirus faces an uphill struggle in Africa, where a flood of online misinformation is feeding on mistrust of Western medical research. "It is as if we were back in the colonial era," Kenya's former justice minister Martha Karua told AFP. A Facebook post shared thousands of times warned against a "Bill Gates" vaccine, after the billionaire pledged $250 million to fight Covid-19. "Rather than dismissing these as 'false rumours' or 'erroneous beliefs', these concerns should be heard and recognised," she told AFP. Despite the problems of perception, the WHO's Mihigo was optimistic that when a coronavirus vaccine becomes available, it would be widely accepted in Africa.

Source: Daily Nation May 07, 2020 04:07 UTC