• "A certain doctor has been continuously criticising the vaccination drive through a social media site. He has a commercial objective behind his anti-vax campaign"
• There had been anti-vaccine campaigns when vaccines were introduced in the world over the years such as in the case of anti-rabies vaccines

By Ajith Siriwardana

Commercial objectives were operating behind anti-vaccine movements operating in Sri Lanka and websites that were promoting such anti-vax campaigns,a medical expert said yesterday.

Department Head of Community Medicine of the Colombo University Professor Manuj Weerasinghe said there was a tendency to criticise Covid vaccination so as to promote some other treatment methods.

“A certain doctor has been continuously criticising the vaccination drive through a social media site. He has a commercial objective behind his anti-vax campaign. He is trying to gain publicity to promote another treatment method. Some other people were behind this campaign,”he said.

Dr. Weerasinghe said social media that were promoting such campaigns were doing it to increase their ratings by promoting such controversial matters.

He said it was important to vaccinate young people between 20 and 30 years to protect their lives and requested everyone not to resort to any anti-vax campaigns and disrupt the vaccine drive in the country.
He said there had been anti-vaccine campaigns when vaccines were introduced in the world over the years such as in the case of anti-rabies vaccines.

He said there was no basis for these anti-vaccine campaigns and added that there were no religious barriers or any incidents of undermining indigenous or Ayurvedic practices due to the vaccination as claimed by such groups.
“Covid vaccination was started in Arabic countries and North America and South America in the first stage. So, such religious groups in Sri Lanka may not have religious issues for vaccination. Western Medicine practices were done jointly with indigenous and Ayurvedic practices for Covid treatment in Sri Lanka. There is no undermining of such practices either," he said.

Dr. Weerasinghe requested people not to share or subscribe anti vaccine posts on social media and not to subject the vaccine drive to any other agendas.

He said if Sri Lanka were to reach 70 to 75% herd immunity rate, it was important to vaccinate the youths between 20 and 30 years.

He requested youth not to get caught to rumours such as impotence and infertility because of Covid vaccines, as there was no scientific basis for such rumours.

• Dr. Weerasinghe requested people not to share or subscribe anti vaccine posts on social media and not to subject the vaccine drive to any other agendas
• If Sri Lanka were to reach 70 to 75% herd immunity rate, it was important to vaccinate the youths between 20 and 30 years