Jousting against the malaria vaccine, Oyakhilome has not only incited another circle of conspiracy theories, he has once again pitted the Christian community against the achievements of science, this is likely to create what is known in health parlance as vaccine hesitancy, discouraging millions from taking the vaccine and could result in slowing down the pushback against malaria and other diseases that require such vaccines. Yes , Nigeria is still prone to what scholars largely term as the absolute dependency on religion and for as large a percentage as 70 percent of Nigerians are absolutely dependent on their religions for thinking and living. That is why in Nigeria, a university will take a whole day in organizing prayer sessions while a visit to most government establishments will witness morning prayer meetings during the time scheduled for work. Such prayer meetings are bound to last depending on the overzealousness of the makeshift church members, sadly such spirituality has failed to transform the country and I recall a Canadian Preacher describing spirituality in Nigeria “as wide as a river bed but only an inch deep!”
Oyakhilome much to my chagrin insists that those pushing the malaria vaccine have another agenda and that vaccines have never worked! Wow! Just Wow!!
He goes on to challenge the figures and declared without scientific fact nor rigor that malaria had never been the continent’s biggest health challenge, the same continent where 95 percent of malaria deaths all over the world occurs in and children under the age of 5 account account for 80 percent of such deaths!
Malaria is a devastating disease that has plagued humanity for centuries, causing untold suffering and death in many parts of the world. It is caused by parasites of the Plasmodium falciparum , which are transmitted to humans through the bite of infected mosquitoes. Despite significant progress in combating malaria over the years, it remains a major public health challenge, particularly in developing countries where access to healthcare and resources are limited.
To Oyakhilome, vaccines are a way of depopulating the world and so I wonder why the numerous vaccines in existence hasn’t slowed down the world’s population? If anything seems to be slowing such, it should be attributed to factors like urbanization, knowledge and worsening economic conditions which have forced families to reduce the number of children and not vaccines!
For the malaria vaccine, Oyakhilome has repeatedly hounded Bill Gates , founder of Microsoft and one of the world’s biggest names in fighting diseases in the third world. From wrongly quoting Gates on his comments about improving healthcare services and its effect on parents and an informed choice about reproduction to accusing Gates of owning the World Mosquito Program facility in Colombia where he alleged was producing genetically modified mosquitoes to carry out the task of depopulation! Both allegations were both wrong!
In this controversy, it is commonsensical to give Mr. Gates more credibility and expertise on the topic of malaria, as he has been heavily involved in funding research and programs to combat the disease through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Where lies the basis for Oyakhilome’s assertions? At what point can we justify such grim allegations since his expertise may not be as extensive as someone like Bill Gates who has dedicated significant resources to finding solutions for a number of tropical diseases which include malaria.
Again, Bill Gates is a tech entrepreneur turned philanthropist who has dedicated significant resources to combatting diseases such as malaria through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Gates believes in the power of science, innovation, and evidence-based interventions to address public health challenges. He has invested heavily in research, development, and implementation of tools and technologies to prevent and treat malaria, such as insecticide-treated bed nets, antimalarial drugs, and vaccines.
Bill Gates takes a different approach, emphasizing the importance of evidence-based interventions and public health strategies in tackling malaria. He argues that while faith and spirituality can provide comfort and psychological well-being, they should not be relied upon as the sole means of disease prevention and treatment. Gates believes that scientific research, data analysis, and innovation are essential tools in the fight against malaria, and that investments in research and development can lead to significant progress in reducing the burden of the disease.
Now even if Oyakhilome has issues with the vaccine why not use a number of faith based medical institutions to assert such claims rather than making a mockery of the pulpit and the Church at large?
This debate between Oyakhilome and Gates on the issue of malaria reflects a broader conflict between faith-based and evidence-based approaches to health and development in developing nations.
It’s not just malaria, I mentioned COVID and his false assertion that it was due to the introduction of 5G technology, then there is the talk against the vaccine for Human Papilloma Virus, HPV which has experienced tremendous success rates.
However, can we imagine the cost, in terms of lives of millions of Nigerians and other nationalities who not only because of poverty and the obvious level of decrepit health infrastructure fall prey to such teachings and deny themselves access to such vaccines?
