Abstract
In June 2015, proposed Ebola vaccine trials were suspended by the Ministry of Health of Ghana amid protests from members of parliament and the general public. Scholarship has often focused on the design, development, and administration of vaccines. Of equal importance are the social issues surrounding challenges with vaccine trials and their implementation. The purpose of this study was to analyze discourses in the media that led to the suspension of the 2015 Ebola vaccine trials in Ghana. I use a sociological lens drawing on moral panic and risk society theories. The study qualitatively analyzed discourses in 18 semi-structured interviews with media workers, selected online publications, and user comments about the Ebola vaccine trials. The findings show that discourses surrounding the Ebola vaccine trials drew on cultural, biomedical, historical, and even contextual knowledge and circumstances to concretize risk discourses and garner support for their positions. Historical, political, and cultural underpinnings have a strong influence on biomedical practices and how they are (not) accepted. This study highlights the complexity and challenges of undertaking much needed vaccine tests in societies where the notion of drug trials has underlying historical and sociological baggage that determine whether (or not) the trials proceed.
Highlights
The quick spread of the 2014 Ebola outbreak in some West African countries reignited vaccine development for new and emerging infectious diseases as an issue of priority.Vaccine controversies have received some attention in scholarship
This study focuses on the suspension of the Ebola vaccine trials in Ghana as a case of social anxiety
While some expressed support for how the media covered the issue and unveiled evil cover-up, others condemned the media for poor journalism and tarnishing the image of journalists
Summary
The quick spread of the 2014 Ebola outbreak in some West African countries reignited vaccine development for new and emerging infectious diseases as an issue of priority. Vaccine controversies have received some attention in scholarship. The focus has been on vaccine hesitancy, a situation in which individuals refuse or are unwilling to accept vaccines [1]. Research has shown that vaccine trials can be met with opposition and has suggested various measures for addressing this [2,3,4]. Other scholars have focused on the atypical situation of vaccine trials in developing contexts. Quayle, and Ndoluv, for instance, studied communities’ preparedness for HIV vaccine trials in South
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
