Convincing to protect: Restoring trust in vaccination in Benin

Ouaké-In a house in the commune of Ouaké, in northern Benin, Djahara, in her twenties and mother of a 14 month old child, hesitated to have her child vaccinated again. After a previous vaccination, her child's foot had swollen. Worried, she preferred to stop. "Before, I used to take my child to be vaccinated. But after that incident, I stopped. Today, I've resumed and I'm happy to do it," she confides.

Like Djahara, other parents have doubts and some refuse to vaccinate their children. Pockets of hesitation have been noted in certain localities. It was in this context that three cases of type 2 variant poliovirus were reported in October 2025 in the Donga department, bordering Togo.

As part of the response, Benin carried out a free vaccination campaign against poliomyelitis from 24‒27 April 2026, targeting more than 2.2 million children aged 0 to 59 months in six departments of the country, with over 2.8 million doses deployed for the first round.

Vaccination is widely recognized as an effective way to protect children, but an unexpected or misunderstood effect can sometimes be enough to cause hesitation. To address this, health authorities, with support from partners in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), including the World Health Organization (WHO), have strengthened their actions within communities. More than 16 000 people were trained and deployed for this campaign to ensure awareness, vaccination and follow up of children.

Poliomyelitis is a highly contagious viral disease that can cause irreversible paralysis, mainly in young children. It is transmitted through contaminated water or food. In areas where the virus circulates, vaccination remains the safest way to protect children and prevent new outbreaks.

On the ground, health teams go door to door. They explain how the vaccine works, answer questions and administer the drops. When hesitation persists, they rely on trusted and respected community members.

Saïb Wede is one of them. A schoolteacher by profession, he is called upon when families are not convinced. "My job is first to listen to families, to build trust and to give them advice so they can vaccinate their children," he explains.

He recalls Djahara's situation: "After a vaccination, the child had swelling and then a sore on the foot. The family managed it themselves. Afterwards, they decided not to vaccinate anymore," he remembers.

In such cases, he favours dialogue. "I told them they were right to be worried. But I also explained why it is important to vaccinate children, to protect them against the disease. And if there is a problem after vaccination, they should go to the health centre. Care is free," he continues. Gradually, the discussion helped clarify the situation. "They admitted they didn't have this information. That's what led them to change their minds," he adds.

For community health workers, this support makes all the difference daily. Benjamin Talabalo, a qualified community health worker covering the Bajouda district in Ouaké for nearly two years, experiences it in the field. "We call on Saïb Wede when there is hesitation in a household," he explains. "It helps us achieve our goal of protecting all children aged 0 to 5 years," he adds.

At the local level, health authorities observe the results of this approach. "We work with people from the community whom families trust, especially key community figures we mobilize to talk with households when there is hesitation," says Dr Edmond Dossou, chief physician of Ouaké commune. "Their intervention helps overcome reluctance and reach more children," he adds.

This work of "refusal managers" strengthens coverage rates. According to administrative data from the Ministry of Health, national vaccination coverage is estimated at 108%, with more than 2 485 000 children vaccinated.

WHO's support focuses on campaign coordination, logistics, training of stakeholders at all levels (supervisors and vaccination teams), epidemiological surveillance and conducting independent evaluations during and after the campaign (independent monitoring and LQAS). The Organization also works with communities, contributing to the effective implementation of the campaign.

"In some localities, a clear and respectful discussion can be enough to dispel concerns," explains Dr Aristide Sossou, officer in charge of vaccine preventable diseases at WHO Benin. "These exchanges are essential so that every child can be protected," he adds.

For Djahara, it was precisely this explanation that made the difference. "They told me that if my child has a problem after vaccination, I can take him to the health center and he will be treated free of charge," she says.

Today, she no longer hesitates to vaccinate her child when the teams come by. For her, everything changed after the explanations she received. "Before, I was afraid. Now, I am reassured," she confides.