“My libido did not increase nor decrease, it is just normal, I am still very active, I am living my life as a married man, the COVID-19 vaccine did not affect my sexual life, same goes to my wife because she has also taken her first dose,” Martins Onyedikachi, Enugu State based software Engineer responding to claims that low libido if men is a side effect of taking the COVID-19 Vaccine, one of the claims of conspiracy theories trailing COVID-19 vaccines.
“My desire to be safe was the reason I took the vaccine. COVID is not something I want to play with particularly because of the state of our health system , where it will be difficult for me to afford oxygen when I am down, so it is important for me to be vaccinated, so that I can avoid unnecessary experience.”
Mr. Martins Onyedikachi narrated his experiences, to journalists on field trip to Enugu State Teaching Hospital, five weeks after taking his first jab of the Moderna vaccine.
Unlike Onyedikachi’s experience, 37-year old female journalist, Ajoke Babareke who took her first Jab of the Moderna vaccine, while participating at the two day media dialogue on Demand Creation for COVID-19 Vaccines in Nigeria, said relating with members of her became problematic after she told them she had taken the jab.
Narrating her ordeal,” On my return home after two days of participating in a media dialogue centred on creating demand for COVID–19, I excitedly declared to my family members that I had taken the first dose of Moderna COVID vaccine, in disbelieve I heard him (my husband) say the corona virus had just been injected in my system, my husband isolated himself from me and strictly picked offence that I had submitted myself to the corona-virus itself, he claimed the vaccine would affect our marriage as he would no longer have sexual intercourse with me because of all he had read about the COVID vaccine and it’s acclaimed effect on those that have been jabbed , I was also humiliated by my children who rushed to stick stainless spoons on my arm to test my new magnetic powers, my children attempted lightning bulb on my body as well,” Ajoke recounted.
Some Nigerians obviously suffered what the World Health Organisation described as ‘Infodemic’; an overabundance of information (accurate or not) that spreads alongside a disease outbreak.
The misinformation ranges from disbelieving the threat of COVID-19, politicization to conspiracy theories that vaccines could alter human DNA as well as reduce fertility in women and men.
A medical expert from the Community Medicine Department, Enugu State University Teaching Hospital (ESUT), Dr. Obasi Chikezie said that complacency, lack of confidence and convenience were some of the reasons many persons remained hesitant to get vaccinated.
“In every human development there are people that are naturally bound to say no to such improvement , for those that read the conspiracy theories when you take a look from your point of view its sounds real but not true, because these advocates of these theories know that a lot of people don’t really have the capacity to think deeply on specific claims.”
Fact checking the debunk-able theories as claimed by some individuals that when a LED bulb is placed against the spot where the vaccine is injected, it lights up bulb, Dr. Obasi explained in practical that the bulb is a rechargeable bulb that has batteries in it, it charges just like phone and when connected, the two edges of the bulb comes alive, he said that is the mechanism of the bulb which is the human skin.
According to Dr Obasi,”the body is a conductor because it has some fluid on it however if one uses ordinary water on the body, because it ordinarily conduct this kind of bulb, it means some flow of current have taken place while use the two edges of the bulb to touch the body or where it is wet it will complete the same circuit and the bulb will simply come alive.
“This is what the advocate of these conspiracy theories has been doing. Those that are misinforming people using it to scare others against the vaccine.”
Speaking on the magnetic body, Obasi narrated that “it is the same process, if you rub gum on the side of any metal and place it on your body it will stay.
“These are conspiracy theories that are 100 percent debunk-able but in the next two three years the story will change but the fear we have is that those that are supposed to benefit from the COVID–19 vaccine may have lost out,” Dr Obasi added.
Speaking further on the need to stop the Corona-virus pandemic, Dr. Nwachukwu Ugwunna, ENTH said existing vaccines in the cold rooms and available ones across the health centres will not stop the spread of COVID until the vaccines find their way into human system where it will help in producing immunity against COVID-19.
“It is not the vaccine that will stop the pandemic but the vaccination which means it is not just a mere vaccine that has been produced and not getting into people. Vaccine that is there existing in cold rooms and available at health centres will not stop it until these vaccines find their way into human system where it will help in producing immunity against COVID 19.”
According to Dr Ugwunna, “vaccination is a simple, safe and effective way of protecting you against harmful disease, before you come into contact with them. It uses your body’s natural defenses to build resistance to specific infections and makes your immune system stronger.”
Dr Ugwunna said vaccines only train the immune system to create antibodies, just as it does when it is exposed to any disease.
“Because vaccines contain only killed or weakened forms of germs like viruses or bacteria, they do not cause the disease or put you at risk of its complications.
“It is only when it gets to people and encourage people’s natural immunity to develop anti bodies against COVID–19, when this is not done, we have not gotten it right because the disease will continue to reproduce and cause havoc and necessitate restrictions and lock down of schools, it will continue to cause panic and postponement of full academic activities,” he added.
He also emphasized the importance of protecting children since children are yet to be enrolled into the vaccination against COVID-19.
According to him, “we are encouraging adults of 18 years above to take the COVID vaccine, though there are some vaccines that children of 12 and above can take, the Pfizer, but it is not readily available for us in Nigeria.
“The responsibility is on every adult around these children to protect these children by getting themselves vaccinated, once you are vaccinated you have been counted zero of getting another person infected and as you build the immunity people around you are equally building their own immunity and we will be able to fight this pandemic to a standstill, most importantly adults we do well in getting the children around them protected if they get vaccinated,” Dr. Ugwunna added.
