Why are these people so happy? They have spotted the public health team driving into the village. The team is coming for a well baby clinic. The photo was taken in a village in Mozambique. I’ve seen this scene in many villages. When this team arrived, the women sang to them to welcome them to the village. The contrast to North America is striking. Here people organize against vaccination and public health professionals are often set up as the enemy, even during a pandemic. We have a lot to learn from people in developing countries.
The team weighs the babies and performs other measures to check the children’s development. They also provide vaccinations when needed and Vitamin A drops that help prevent blindness due to severe Vitamin A deficiency in many people’s diets in this part of Africa.
I encourage everyone to question authority including the advice from public health experts. But question using critical thinking to weigh what is known and what is not and the validity of the sources. If you do you will discover that vaccines are a major reason that our life expectancy has increased. Stay informed and stay educated and learn to be critical of half baked arguments.
It will be interesting to see how North Americans react if a COVID19 vaccine is developed. I think it would be great if people in Canada and the U.S. started singing to thank all the health workers who work hard to keep you healthy and who often are risking their lives for you.