posted by Robert Nyenhuis
A recent article in The Guardian by Patience Akumu, “Measles vaccination rates in parts of Africa surpass those in North America,” reverses the roles of narratives we are usually fed from western media– that Africa is in dire need of American and Western intervention. Per the norm, we typically see images of stricken children receiving inoculations from young, ebullient white helpers on their latest round of “voluntourism”. However, Akumu illustrates that 16 African countries have near 100% measles vaccination rates while Canada (84%) and the US (91%) lag behind, with both countries having recently experienced serious outbreaks. These African success stories debunk the widely held notion that the region is a “dying continent”, a characterization still held in many parts of the west. Perhaps young North Americans interested in “helping to save people” should look to their own communities first.