BBC Releases Report Addressing Chris Oyakhilome’s ‘Conspiracy Theories’ On Malaria Vaccine

The British Broadcasting Company (BBC) has released a publication addressing the condemnation of the malaria vaccine in Africa by Pastor Chris Oyakhilome of the Christ Embassy.

In the report published on Wednesday, April 17, the BBC tagged the clergyman a strong advocate against the vaccine, quoting him as saying “…there was never a proof that vaccines ever worked”.

Citing one of Oyakhilome’s YouTube broadcasts, the online media outfit said he believes everyone has been lied to about the vaccine.

The Broadcast company stated that some medical practitioners have concerns that the pastor’s sermons against the vaccine might negatively affect Africa in the fight against the disease.

As reported by the paper, in August 2023, the pastor had warned in a sermon of “an evil agenda that has been long in the making”, apart from alleging that “malaria was never a problem to those in Africa.”

According to the platform, a World Health Organisation (WHO) spokesman, while reacting to the cleric’s submission, said,  “Spreading false information about vaccines, especially from influential figures like religious leaders, can contribute to the perpetuation of myths and misconceptions, further fuelling vaccine hesitancy. “This can have devastating consequences for public health, particularly in the WHO African region where vaccine-preventable diseases occur frequently.”

Even more, it was gathered that Pastor Oyakhilome’s remarks were included as one of the disinformation trends “to watch” ahead of the malaria vaccine rollout in a report released in March by The Africa Infodemic Response Alliance backed by WHO.

BBC said it asked (via mail) Oyakhilome about his statements against vaccination but got no response.

Naija News understands that in a video that has been trending online, the pastor said that one cannot say they believe in Jesus Christ and be afraid of viruses, adding that Jesus healed the sick by touching them in the bible.