ABSTRACT
Period poverty is defined as lack of access to hygiene products, financial constraints and difficulties in disposing of menstrual management waste materials. The outbreak of COVID-19 that hit the world is now adding more difficulties to people in Malaysian society who are affected in terms of menstrual management. Period poverty has put pressure on the urban poor especially during the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic over the past two years, forcing many women to put aside the desire to buy sanitary products because they have to prioritize other necessities. This study aims to identify the problems of period poverty occurring among the urban poor in Malaysia during the pandemic. As a literature highlight review, the approach of this research is qualitative using the method of document analysis. The research finds that period poverty has hit the urban poor badly during this ongoing pandemic and it invites health problems when old papers and newspapers are used as sanitary pads such as urinary tract and perinatal infections.
ABSTRACT
Purpose: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine is the key to getting out of the pandemic. However, acceptance of the vaccine has been affected by false information and rumors, which have kept people from getting the shot since it was rolled out. Materials and Methods: This study aimed to investigate the various misconceptions surfaced about the COVID-19 vaccines in Africa. We performed an online survey using an anonymous questionnaire to reach out to African respondents by social media and all possible online platforms such as Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and so forth. The web-based questionnaires about the myths surrounding the vaccines were extracted from nonscientific information, unproven statements, social media posts, news reports, and people's concerns about the safety of the COVID-19 vaccines. Participants indicated their level of agreement with each statement. Results: A total of 2,500 people responded to the online survey in Africa. The two common myths that respondents agreed with were that "since vaccines for COVID-19 have been developed, we can make vaccines for the common cold, human immunodeficiency viruses, and other diseases" (n=892, 35.7%) and that "researchers rushed the development of the COVID-19 vaccines; therefore, it is not very effective, safe and cannot be trusted" (n=595, 23.8%). The range of respondents who neither agreed nor disagreed with these myths was 12.4%-33.0%. The majority (1,931, 77.2%) indicated disagreement with the statement "after getting the COVID-19 vaccine, one can stop wearing a mask as well as taking safety precautions." Conclusion: Myths surrounding the COVID-19 vaccines have impact on acceptance. Exploring them helps public health authorities in Africa dispel them and provide accurate information to promote vaccination campaigns, education, and acceptance.
ABSTRACT
There has never been a pandemic of this magnitude in contemporary human history. In less than 16 months after the outbreak of the pandemic, almost 188 million confirmed COVID-19 cases and 2.5 million fatalities have been reported globally. In addition, a great deal of work has been done to discover vaccinations that are both safe and effective. In May 2021, 184 SARS-Cov-2 vaccine contestants were in pre-clinical trials, 105 were in clinical trials, and 18 vaccines had been licensed for emergency use by at least one national or international regulatory body. Till date, only 5 vaccines are given approval by WHO for emergency use that includes, Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, AstraZeneca, Sinopharm, Johnson & Johnson. These vaccines include entire virus inactivated or live attenuated, virus vector, protein-based, and nucleic acid vaccines. Currently, confusing information about the COVID-19 vaccination is being disseminated across the world. During health emergency, rumors spread and caused panic, insanity, and anxiety. SARS-CoV-2 strains, on the other hand, are constantly appearing over the world. This article provides a Pakistan's perspective towards COVID-19 vaccines with an updated review.