How Manipur’s vaccination drive was nearly derailed by fake propaganda

Manipur, very recently, won plaudits for vaccinating 92 per cent of its children against measles and rubella (MR). But it has been anything but easy. It all started in October, 2017 when a fake and doctored video clip started doing the rounds on social media and became viral among the Muslims in Manipur.

It claimed that the MR vaccine was actually a ploy to sterilize the Muslims in the state as part of a BJP-RSS design. Dr Anees Begum, a doctor herself, had to take her children, aged 10 and eight, to her primary health centre in Keirao Makting in Imphal East and get them vaccinated in front of the people. The situation was particularly tense in minority-populated areas.

In schools, parents would drag out their children out if they knew that MR vaccination camps were being held in the school premises. The doctored clip came from a news channel’s video clip which was meant to expose such rumours. It was neatly edited and reduced to a short clip, twisted and circulated by vested interest groups who are yet to be identified.

The fake alerts spread like wildfire through various forms of communication: text messages on mobile phones, video clips, etc. Rumours started doing the rounds that there were separate vials for the Hindus and the Muslims. The video clip started circulating six months before the Union Health Ministry’s communication materials reached Manipur. It was enough to damage the campaign for children’s health in the state. The clip had already done its rounds in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Goa before it reached Manipur.

According to state immunisation officer Dr Th Nandkishwor, there were no issues with routine vaccination but people refused MR vaccination. “We did not face such difficulties even during the polio vaccination campaign.” And it was not just the clip. When a child died four weeks after the vaccination, false propaganda linking it to MR vaccine hit the streets. If the MR vaccine sets off an allergic reaction, it takes place within half-an-hour. But a large section of the community had already made up their mind against the vaccine. What the doctors said did not matter any more. An enquiry into the case proved the death was unrelated to the vaccine but the damage had already been done.

“It slowed down the entire process,” deputy commissioner of Thoubal district Haobam Rosita said. To mitigate the problem, “we reached out to religious leaders, community leaders, various other organisations, individuals, panchayats to convince people in pockets of refusal and it definitely helped in the process,” Rosita added. To counter the misinformation campaign, Dr Nandkishwor said, the state pressed all communication channels into action—radio, television, social media, text messages, posters, announcement from vehicles, et al.

Initially, the maulavis were also sceptical. Doctors and authorities held long discussions to convince the religious leaders. Some of the religious leaders personally went to check the vials to verify the genuineness of the medicines. Mohammad Muheiyuddin Mazahiri of the Darul Uloom (Markaz) in Haoreibi personally went to the medical store to check the vaccines. He consulted the Darool Uloom Deoband, all Muslim intellectuals, doctors and so on. Once convinced, he made a small video clip and circulated it among various religious groups, parents and so on. He got the children in his boarding school vaccinated and involved others to spread the message.

Trying to convince principals and teachers of various private schools and the parents was definitely a herculean task for him as well. To break the barrier, the Darul Uloom Waqf Deoband, Jamaat-e-Islami Hind of Manipur state, Jamiat Ulama e Manipur, All Manipur Muslim Doctors and Medical Students Association and various other organisations came on board. Imams started making announcements during Friday prayers, urging people to get children between 9 months and 15 years vaccinated. Dr Farouq Sheikh, medical officer in-charge of primary health centre in Lilong block, expressed his anguish.

“We could convince religious leaders but it was very difficult to convince the parents. Sometimes, students would run out of school leaving their school bags back!” Those who got their children vaccinated were taunted by neighbours and socially boycotted. “It was a difficult time for me,” said Rukiya (27) who got her two children vaccinated. Dr Begum blamed it on lack of knowledge and awareness. Md Islahuddin Kasni of Madarsa Matinul Uloom said, “I tell parents that if you don’t get your children vaccinated, the future generation will be affected.” “When imams or maulanas say something, the community takes it seriously; otherwise it becomes a difficult task to convince them.

There are still pockets of refusal although we are trying our best to convince people,” said Dr NG Jayanta of Kwakta primary health centre. Chairman of Manipur State Minorities Commission Dr Syed Burhan-uddin who has served as medical officer in many places including Mecca, was surprised by the rumours too. “I had to address small meetings, public meetings, discussions and so on, to tell people that it is a safe drug and not meant for sterility. Trust is very important in such situations. I had to categorically tell them that children will get a certificate if vaccinated and that vaccination certificate would be necessary if they wanted to go for Haj to Mecca and Medina. Without this certificate, even Saudi Arabia won’t issue them visa,” he said. This shows that even public policy goals can be compromised by fake news in this age of viral dissemination via social media. Manipur has been lucky to have won the battle.