COVID-19 Vaccination Hesitancy Among Malawians: a Scoping Review

Overview

Journal Syst Rev

Publisher Biomed Central

Date 2024 Feb 28

PMID 38419126

Authors

Ellen Nkambule

Balwani Chingatichifwe Mbakaya

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: The best chance of eradicating the COVID-19 pandemic lies in a successful vaccination campaign against the virus. There is still hesitancy among some of the Malawians over the use of COVID-19 vaccines that are readily available. This review's objective was to currently analyze COVID-19 vaccination hesitancy among Malawians.

Methods: This scoping review was conducted following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) extension for Scoping Reviews. An electronic database search was performed using CINAHL, OVID Medline, PubMed, and Google Scholar for studies published between January 1, 2020, and July 10, 2023, on the topic of reluctance toward COVID-19 vaccine in Malawi. A review of the journal titles and abstracts was performed to establish a match within the selection criteria. Based on the parameters of interest, this paper included publications that explicitly mentioned COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in Malawi.

Results: A total of seven articles were identified as meeting the inclusion criteria. Some of the eligible Malawian population's poor response to COVID-19 vaccination was due to hesitancy. Misinformation is primarily to blame for COVID-19 vaccine reluctance. COVID-19 vaccines are viewed as dangerous or intended to cause harm such as the myth that the COVID-19 vaccine would cause infertility, severe disability, and even death. The review revealed that some people choose not to receive vaccines due to religious convictions and beliefs. Some individuals also think that getting the COVID-19 vaccine could result in receiving a triple-six (666) mark from the devil. There were also reports that the COVID-19 vaccination is being considered experimental and ineffective.

Conclusions: The Malawi government should focus on fear and misinformation regarding COVID-19 vaccination campaigns, using interventions, motivational interviews, and individual sensitization. Traditional, religious, and youth-led organizations should provide practical information on COVID-19 vaccine safety and efficacy.

Citing Articles

COVID-19 prevention strategies and compliance among postnatal adolescent mothers with postnatal depression and generalised anxiety in rural Malawi: a cross-sectional study.

Tembo C, Burns S, Portsmouth L BMJ Open. 2025; 15(2):e093624.

PMID: 39929511 PMC: 11815402. DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2024-093624.

Social media influence on COVID-19 vaccine perceptions among University students: a Malawi case study.

Folotiya M, Ngoma C BMC Public Health. 2024; 24(1):1312.

PMID: 38745173 PMC: 11094968. DOI: 10.1186/s12889-024-18764-8.

References

Ochola E . Vaccine Hesitancy in Sub-Saharan Africa in the Context of COVID-19 Vaccination Exercise: A Systematic Review. Diseases. 2023; 11(1). PMC: 9944066. DOI: 10.3390/diseases11010032. View

Ojong N, Agbe E . "This is most likely not the correct vaccine": Analyzing COVID-19's viral spread and vaccine anxieties in Ghana, Cameroon, and Malawi. Soc Sci Med. 2023; 329:116001. PMC: 10229434. DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2023.116001. View

Page M, McKenzie J, Bossuyt P, Boutron I, Hoffmann T, Mulrow C . The PRISMA 2020 statement: an updated guideline for reporting systematic reviews. BMJ. 2021; 372:n71. PMC: 8005924. DOI: 10.1136/bmj.n71. View

Lin C, Tu P, Beitsch L . Confidence and Receptivity for COVID-19 Vaccines: A Rapid Systematic Review. Vaccines (Basel). 2021; 9(1). PMC: 7823859. DOI: 10.3390/vaccines9010016. View

Lazarus J, Ratzan S, Palayew A, Gostin L, Larson H, Rabin K . A global survey of potential acceptance of a COVID-19 vaccine. Nat Med. 2020; 27(2):225-228. PMC: 7573523. DOI: 10.1038/s41591-020-1124-9. View

Aron M, Connolly E, Vrkljan K, Zaniku H, Nyirongo R, Mailosi B . Attitudes toward COVID-19 Vaccines among Patients with Complex Non-Communicable Disease and Their Caregivers in Rural Malawi. Vaccines (Basel). 2022; 10(5). PMC: 9145400. DOI: 10.3390/vaccines10050792. View

Lazarus J, Wyka K, Rauh L, Rabin K, Ratzan S, Gostin L . Hesitant or Not? The Association of Age, Gender, and Education with Potential Acceptance of a COVID-19 Vaccine: A Country-level Analysis. J Health Commun. 2021; 25(10):799-807. DOI: 10.1080/10810730.2020.1868630. View

Bartsch S, OShea K, Ferguson M, Bottazzi M, Wedlock P, Strych U . Vaccine Efficacy Needed for a COVID-19 Coronavirus Vaccine to Prevent or Stop an Epidemic as the Sole Intervention. Am J Prev Med. 2020; 59(4):493-503. PMC: 7361120. DOI: 10.1016/j.amepre.2020.06.011. View

Sallam M . COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy Worldwide: A Concise Systematic Review of Vaccine Acceptance Rates. Vaccines (Basel). 2021; 9(2). PMC: 7920465. DOI: 10.3390/vaccines9020160. View

10.

Mathieu E, Ritchie H, Ortiz-Ospina E, Roser M, Hasell J, Appel C . A global database of COVID-19 vaccinations. Nat Hum Behav. 2021; 5(7):947-953. DOI: 10.1038/s41562-021-01122-8. View

11.

Afolabi A, Ilesanmi O . Dealing with vaccine hesitancy in Africa: the prospective COVID-19 vaccine context. Pan Afr Med J. 2021; 38:3. PMC: 7825371. DOI: 10.11604/pamj.2021.38.3.27401. View

12.

Govere-Hwenje S, Jarolimova J, Yan J, Khumalo A, Zondi G, Ngcobo M . Willingness to accept COVID-19 vaccination among people living with HIV in a high HIV prevalence community. BMC Public Health. 2022; 22(1):1239. PMC: 9214683. DOI: 10.1186/s12889-022-13623-w. View

13.

Chimatiro C, Hajison P, Jella C, Tshotetsi L, Mpachika-Mfipa F . Barriers affecting COVID‑19 vaccination in Phalombe District, Malawi: A qualitative study. S Afr Med J. 2023; 113(4):e16554. DOI: 10.7196/SAMJ.2023.v113i4.16654. View

14.

Giubilini A . Vaccination ethics. Br Med Bull. 2020; 137(1):4-12. PMC: 7799313. DOI: 10.1093/bmb/ldaa036. View

15.

Elgendy M, Abdelrahim M . Public awareness about coronavirus vaccine, vaccine acceptance, and hesitancy. J Med Virol. 2021; 93(12):6535-6543. PMC: 8426667. DOI: 10.1002/jmv.27199. View

16.

Ao Q, Egolet R, Yin H, Cui F . Acceptance of COVID-19 Vaccines among Adults in Lilongwe, Malawi: A Cross-Sectional Study Based on the Health Belief Model. Vaccines (Basel). 2022; 10(5). PMC: 9144805. DOI: 10.3390/vaccines10050760. View

17.

Moola S, Gudi N, Nambiar D, Dumka N, Ahmed T, Sonawane I . A rapid review of evidence on the determinants of and strategies for COVID-19 vaccine acceptance in low- and middle-income countries. J Glob Health. 2021; 11:05027. PMC: 8645216. DOI: 10.7189/jogh.11.05027. View

18.

Mchawa C, Zhang S, Zhang W, Zhou Y, Wei T, Du J . Assessing SARS-CoV-2 vaccine hesitancy among the people living with and without HIV from May to September 2022 in Blantyre, Malawi. Hum Vaccin Immunother. 2023; 19(2):2222052. PMC: 10332178. DOI: 10.1080/21645515.2023.2222052. View

19.

Pugliese-Garcia M, Heyerdahl L, Mwamba C, Nkwemu S, Chilengi R, Demolis R . Factors influencing vaccine acceptance and hesitancy in three informal settlements in Lusaka, Zambia. Vaccine. 2018; 36(37):5617-5624. PMC: 6143480. DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2018.07.042. View

20.

Bhopal S, Nielsen M . Vaccine hesitancy in low- and middle-income countries: potential implications for the COVID-19 response. Arch Dis Child. 2020; 106(2):113-114. DOI: 10.1136/archdischild-2020-318988. View