Global debates about vaccines in the era of Covid-19 currently focus on questions of supply, with attention to unjust global distribution. At the same time, vaccine demand and uptake are seen to be threatened by hesitancy, often attributed to a globalised anti-vaxx movement and misinformation and conspiracy, now reaching African populations. Underplayed are socio-political contexts of vaccines and how they are interpreted within African settings. We explore these through a ‘vaccine anxieties’ framework, considering both desires for and worries about vaccines, as shaped by bodily, societal and wider political understandings and experiences in local and national settings in Uganda and Sierra Leone. In considering the socially-embedded reasons why people want or do not want Covid-19 vaccines, and how this intersects with supply, access and distribution in rapidly-unfolding epidemic situations, we bring new, expanded insights into debates about vaccine confidence and vaccine preparedness.
Research paper
Vaccine anxieties, vaccine preparedness: Perspectives from Africa in a Covid-19 era
Topics
COVID-19Regions
East and Southern AfricaCountries
UgandaRegional Hub
Central and East Africa HubRegional Hub Themes
Epidemic preparedness and responseDOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2022.114826
See also
Briefing
Effective vaccine rollout and uptake in Sierra Leone
This Key Considerations brief proposes key considerations for ongoing vaccination efforts in Sierra Leone, including for the hepatitis vaccine and new malaria vaccine (RTS,S/AS01 (RTS,S)), offering insights on planning equitable vaccine campaigns for new infections.
West Africa Hub
SSHAP
2024
Related content
Factsheet
Remote response to Ebola outbreak in DRC
The Social Science in Humanitarian Action Platform is supporting UNICEF, WHO, IFRC and other partners in the Democratic Republic of Congo to respond to the Ebola outbreak in Equateur Province. The Platform has four key streams of action: 1) Rapid…
Central and East Africa Hub
SSHAP
2018
Briefing
Cross-border dynamics between Burundi and Tanzania in the context of viral haemorrhagic fever outbreaks, 2025
This brief summarises key considerations regarding cross-border dynamics between Burundi and Tanzania in the context of viral haemorrhagic fever (VHF) outbreaks in Tanzania and Uganda.
Central and East Africa Hub
SSHAP
2025
Briefing
Using social and behavioural science to inform the use of vaccines during health emergencies
This brief synthesises social and behavioural science research on the use of vaccines during health emergencies in sub-Saharan Africa, including experimental vaccines undergoing clinical trials.
SSHAP
2025
Article
Hiding in plain sight: IDP’s protection strategies after closing Juba’s protection of civilian sites
This article examines how former Protection of Civilian site (PoCs) residents are staying safe and protecting themselves after the United Nations Mission in South Sudan's (UNMISS) handing over of the PoCs to the Revitalised-Transitional Government of National Unity (R-TGoNU).
Central and East Africa Hub
Global Policy
2023