Politics and culture as an explanation of vaccinations: the case of Türkiye and the USA

Politics and culture as an explanation of vaccinations: the case of Türkiye and the USA

politics and culture play an as important role in explaining the vaccination hurdle as health. In Turkey there is distrust of the state, religious reasons in the United States and the resistance to abortions. "No matter what you say, I do the opposite. If you tell me I should wear a mask, I don't wear a mask. And I don't be vaccinated." This quote comes from Ercan, a pharmacist and homeopath from Istanbul and one of many Turks who do not want to be vaccinated against Covid-19. "In Turkey, many people take advantage of the power to defend themselves against the power of the state," says Einar Wigen, extraordinary professor of Turkey studies at the University of Oslo. Together with Nalan Azak, a doctoral student for Middle East studies, he analyzed the importance of vaccinations, both historically and in connection with the new coronavirus vaccine. According to Wigen, this is essential knowledge in the fight against infectious diseases. "It is not only enough to develop a vaccine, you also have to understand your cultural and political importance in society," he emphasizes. Increased vaccination versus distrust against the state in the Nordic countries, the high level of trust between the population and the public authorities is often emphasized as the most important instrument in the fight against Coronavirus pandemic. In Turkey, however, there is far less trust between the citizens and the state, and the authoritarian President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is known for his extensive use of power against his opponents. All vaccinations are currently voluntary in Turkey. However, vaccination force was an effective instrument in Turkish health policy long before Erdoğan's term. "Turkey has one of the highest vaccination rates in children worldwide, but one of the lowest in influenza vaccination in older people. This can be explained by the fact that the WHO children's vaccination program was mandatory while the influenza vaccination was voluntary," explains Wigen. He refers to a long history of the mandatory vaccination. From 1884 the vaccination was mandatory to attend school, and from 1930 it was mandatory for all people living in Turkey or who stayed there, regardless of their nationality. "The success of the coercion has led to other funds being neglected, such as the establishment of trust or the conviction of people that vaccinations are good for them." Not only an individual decision Wigen believes that people can also be pushed for vaccination. "Although vaccination is completely voluntary, there are many factors in society that urge people to take them." In December 2021, just under 60 percent of Türkiye's population were vaccinated against Covid-19. Wigen refers to an interview in which an employee of a large Turkish oil company said that unvaccinated people were threatened with the loss of their work. "I do not know if they are actually released, but that says something about the various ways to encourage people to vaccination, except through compulsion by the state. For example, some people assume that they are not allowed to travel if they are not vaccinated." Wigen believes that vaccsis in Turkey cannot be explained by individualism. "I have not seen any studies lately, but the Turks tend to have achieved a high level of rating in collective thinking. However, this does not necessarily lead to trust in the state because the state is not considered the collective." The turning point for vaccinations in 2015 Although Erdoğan disregarded many rights of the Turks, it was the constitutional human rights that led to the abolition of the mandatory vaccination. In 2015, two parents who did not want to have their children not vaccinated landed in court. The Supreme Court of Türkiye decided that it violated the constitution to force someone to vaccination. Since then, the number of families who take out their children from the vaccination program has risen sharply. In 2018, this number was around 13,000. The parents argued that the vaccinations can contain harmful substances that can cause autism, among other things. This is a widespread argument that goes back to the former academic and discredited doctor Andrew Wakefield, who published a strongly criticized study in 1998 about the connection between the vaccine against measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) and autism. Wigen recognizes Wakefield's arguments among the opponents of vaccination in Turkey. "Information and misinformation about possible side effects of the vaccinations have spread in many communities and channels since 2015. It seems that more and more people take up these arguments from the outside, and in this sense this is part of a wider international image." Vaccination nationalism and prophetic medicine Wigen sees other and overlapping reasons for the skepticism of vaccination in Turkey. Some people combine resistance to vaccinations with the so -called "prophetic medicine". "This is a cultural -specific form of alternative medicine, in which various 'traditional stories' are linked to examples from the Hadiths. The Prophet Muhammad serves as a model, and the focus is on prayer and fasting, not to mention nuts, dates and honey: So nutrition and lifestyle instead of pharmaceutical drugs." Nationalism also influences the prevailing view of vaccinations in Turkey. Various coronavirus vaccines are offered, and President Erdoğan has expressly asked the population to take the vaccine developed by Turkey, which he describes as a "traditional" vaccine. The Turkish vaccine Turkovac differs from the vaccines from Pfizer, Biontech and Moderna, which are based on the new MRNA technology, and is more like the vaccine from AstraZenta, for example. Religious Vaccine Exemption In The USA Hanne Amanda Trangerud Researches ReligiousLy Based Vaccine Scepticism in the USA.