University students ask govt to stop mandatory vaccination

KABUL (Pajhwok): A number of university students have criticized the government for making mandatory vaccination and called the move a violation of human rights, saying the decision should be reconsidered.

Last week, the government announced that educational institutes would be reopened on August 7 after administration of coronavirus vaccine to students.

A day earlier, the Ministry of Higher Education (MoHE) announced that the coronavirus vaccination was mandatory for students and no student would be allowed to enter any educational institute in absence of vaccine card.

University students were happy about the reopening of universities but called mandatory vaccination against the law and violation of human rights.

Mandatory vaccination program is questionable: Students

Samira, a literature student in Kabul University, talking to Pajhwok Afghan News said, “I am very happy that our lessons have begun, but we are worried the vaccine is mandatory, because some people may be sensitive to it, the vaccine may be very harmful or even deadly for some.”

Samira asked the government to stop mandatory vaccination and respect to the rights of humans.

Meanwhile, Kabul University Students Union also launched an online campaign under the hashtag ‘We do not want mandatory vaccination’.

Darya Khroshan, a Facebook user in a post said, “Why you force students to take vaccine! It is against the law, some people do not want the vaccine, so you do not have the right to force someone to take the vaccine.”

Saleh Talash, a Kabul University student in a Facebook post said, “I do not want to be vaccinated, because they made it mandatory, they doubt this vaccine, there is something fishy about it.”

Meanwhile, Nizam Shamsi, another Facebook user reported that a university student died after taking coronavirus vaccine.

“Mohammad Aziz who was the fourth-year student in Polytechnic University died due to taking Johnson vaccine,” he said.

Some domestic and international media outlets earlier reported that Johnson vaccine causes mental problems for people after six weeks of its administration.

This comes as the US recently assisted three million doses of Johnson and Johnson vaccine to Afghanistan and its administration begun from last Saturday to people including teachers and lecturers of universities.

No official or person has the right to enforce vaccine on students: Health experts

Dr. Hakimullah Saleh, a mental health expert, told Pajhwok Afghan News that despite vaccination was important, but it should be the choice of people as it was the right of citizens.

“No any individual and official has the right to enforce coronavirus vaccine on others,” he said.

He said that aside from the benefits of coronavirus vaccine, it also had side effects.

About the reports on death of a student of people after getting vaccinated, Saleh said that MoPH should investigate the case to reveal the reason of the death.

He said that coronavirus vaccine was very important for students as it improved the immune system against the virus and prevents its spread. However, he said that taking it was the choice of people.

For prevention of coronavirus spread, it is better for students to follow all health guidelines such as social distance, using mask and washing hands with soap, he added.

Saleh termed MoHE decision as good, but said that no one had the right to make the vaccination mandatory.

MoPH:

Hamid Obaidi, spokesman of MoPH, confirmed the death of a university student and said that the student did not take the vaccine in the university and the cause of the death was unknown.

About reports on the side effects of Johnson and Johnson vaccine, he said that the vaccine did not cause mental issues and no other health issues that would be caused by the vaccine registered so far.

Administration of the vaccine practically started in all educational institutes he said. “The vaccine which is administered to students, lecturers and workers is verified by the World Health Organization and the Ministry of Public Health, no any side effects caused by the vaccine,” he added.

He said that administration of the vaccine would help keep universities open in the future phases of coronavirus. Obaidi asked students to refer to their universities and take the vaccine.

MoPH deputy spokesman Osman Taheri about serious side effects of coronavirus vaccine said that Johnson and Johnson vaccine did not cause any negative effects on people. He said that people’s interest in vaccination has increased compared to the past.

All vaccines which are verified by WHO are safe and implementable without any issues, he added.

He said that 12 million people had so far taken Johnson and Johnson vaccine in the US and there were only limited cases of mental disorders.

“If only one person in hundreds of thousands of people get mental disorders it is not worrisome, because the problem gets away in short time,” he said.

Taheri said that Johnson and Johnson vaccine also caused some mental disorders but they should not be focused as the efficiency of the vaccine was higher than its side effects. He said that students gather in a room and that was the reason vaccine was important for them.

However, none of the two officials provided a clear response about the students’ request for suspending mandatory vaccination.

Zabihullah Farhang, spokesman of Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) about the students protest said, “There are more important issues going on in our country right now, we cannot say anything about this issue at the moment.”

Earlier some Facebook users and doctors also termed the vaccine dangerous and say that the vaccine can damage a person’s health and even cause death. However, MoPH rejected them as rumors and said that the vaccine had no any side effects.

mds/ma

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