Jordan takes swift action against false vaccine claims amid parental confusion

In a totally unexpected move, the Jordanian government has been forced to act quickly against what it called two parties who spread false information, causing chaos among children and parents. The prosecutor general is looking into possible cybercrimes committed to dissuade the public from the acceptance of the new measles (MR) vaccine that will be rolled out at all schools in mid-October. The vaccine is aimed at preventing measles; UNICEF, WHO and the Jordanian Ministry of Health have publicly stated that the vaccine is safe.

Hadeel, a parent of a young child, told The Media Line that she was planning to approve her daughter getting the vaccine, only to change her mind after receiving a message on her phone. The message from an unidentified person was sent to her by her daughter’s PTA WhatsApp group in which he said that the Indian agency that produced the vaccine being used had not been certified by Jordan’s Food and Drug Administration. 

Officials stated that the MR has been around for years but that the vaccination was stopped during the pandemic.

Another mother, Layla from Mafraq, said that she also was planning to have her child take the measles vaccine but is now having second thoughts because so many contradictory messages are filling her cell phone messaging app. Some of the rumors talked about children dying from the vaccine while other messages claimed that it causes sterilization among children—and yet another claimed it will contribute to homosexuality among children!

Anti-vaxers who have been around since the pandemic were in full force, leaving parents in a difficult position.

Jordanian officials belatedly responded with a full-court press, putting all top officials on air, and using the vast media machine of the government… but the damage seems to have been done.

Anti-vax sentiment in Jordan

Nadine Nimri, a veteran Jordanian journalist specializing in family and children’s issues, told The Media Line that she is confident enough in the vaccine that she was okay with her six-year-old child taking it. “I am sure that the government will not put our children at risk, but I realize that especially since the COVID pandemic there has been a growing anti-vax campaign which has also become popular in Jordan.” However, most school principals are reporting a very high rejection of the vaccination by parents because of their worries about its safety.

The government responded by assuring the public that there was no danger. The Minister of Health, Dr. Firas Al-Hawari, confirmed that 163 cases of measles have been reported. The minister said that the spread of measles in Jordan these days is not considered the first of its kind, and the national measles vaccination campaign is also not the first.

Al-Hawari said in a press conference on Monday, October 2 attended by the minister of government communications, Dr. Muhannad Mobaideen, the minister of education and higher education, Dr. Azmi Muhafza, and a number of specialists that one of the most important reasons for the spread of measles is due to the gaps in taking vaccines, gaps which are because of the COVID pandemic and the accompanying cessation of the vaccination campaign.

Al-Hawari confirmed that the MR vaccine was approved in Jordan in 2013 and about four million people were given the vaccine without showing any side effects.

Regarding the rumors related to the death of (15) people due to the vaccine in one of the nearby countries, Al-Hawari explained that the deaths were the result of human error in that country, in which those in charge of the operation mixed the vaccine with a substance that caused paralysis and led to a cessation of lung function.

Muhafaza said, “The skepticism that is taking place is very dangerous because measles is a deadly disease.” He added, “The company that produces the vaccine is one of the most important international companies and dozens of countries have used it, and it is approved by the World Health Organization.” He pointed out that the talk in schools about preventing children from being vaccinated leads to real confusion. He stated that the national vaccination program is 40 years old and is continuing to protect society in cooperation with the professional and responsible media and with citizen awareness. He pointed out that the MR vaccine is safe and effective according to the recommendations of the World Health Organization, UNICEF, and the Technical Committee for Vaccinations, which includes academics and doctors from private sector hospitals and the Royal Medical and University Services, using the measles and rubella vaccine.

He stressed that skeptics on social media have unpatriotic motives and are not based on scientific facts, while the national vaccination program is a role model, “and we count on parents to protect all our children.”

He said, "What is happening now cannot be accepted in exchange for what science provides that serves health and humanity, and we must take information from its official and real sources."

The World Health Organization representative Bassem Zayed said that around the world 128,000 deaths resulted from measles in 2021 were because of weak vaccination programs, encouraging the receipt of anti-measles vaccines in Jordan. Zayed said during a press conference that most measles deaths then were among children under five and those without the vaccine.

Despite all this, the vaccination campaign will begin in mid-October, targeting all students in public and private schools, in addition to kindergartens, nursery schools, shelters, camps, and juvenile halls, with the aim of vaccinating everyone.