Leadership plays a crucial role in shaping public health outcomes, particularly during global crises like the COVID-19 pandemic, says Dr. Lucas Nyabero, CEO of Elara Health Innovation and immediate past CEO of the Pharmaceutical Society of Kenya (PSK).
Speaking in an interview with Radio Generation on Wednesday, Nyabero pointed out that the politicization of health measures has fueled skepticism around vaccines, leading to preventable harm.
“Unfortunately, one of the biggest problems that happened with COVID was that there are some leaders who politicized it, and when they politicize it, they brought in skepticism towards public health,” Nyabero said on Wednesday.
He added that the influence of anti-vaccine movements, once small, has grown due to such political interference. “Once you continue doing these things, people are going to get hurt,” he warned.
Nyabero also highlighted instances where misinformation caused dangerous behavior. He cited a leader who suggested injecting disinfectants as a solution to COVID-19, noting the flawed logic behind the idea.
“The fact that it works on our hands, then it definitely will work inside… is just an opinion where you don’t have any empirical data, but it has some kind of kernel of truth,” he explained.
The expert emphasized that healthcare professionals have also fallen short in communicating the science behind vaccines to the public.
“If you walk down the street and ask 10 people how a vaccine works, they will not be able to explain that,” he said, stressing the need for clear and simple public education.
Nyabero elaborated on the advantages of messenger MRNA (mRNA) vaccines, which were supported by the U.S. government and allowed for faster production during the pandemic.
Unlike traditional vaccines, which relied on methods like incubating viruses in eggs, mRNA vaccines shorten preparation time and improve safety, including for individuals with egg allergies.
“Technology has been accepted in some areas…here’s an area that also needs technology,” Nyabero said, pointing out that new diseases can reach regions where natural immunity may not exist. He underscored the need to embrace scientific innovation to protect populations against emerging global health threats.
Messenger RNA (abbreviated mRNA) is a type of single-stranded RNA involved in protein synthesis. mRNA is made from a DNA template during the process of transcription.
On the role of the Pharmaceutical Society of Kenya, Nyabero described it as a 60-year-old professional body focused on improving policy, welfare, and standards in the pharmacy sector.
“We come together to see how to make sure we do policy, push for policy changes, and ensure the quality and standards of pharmacists,” he explained.