Table_1_Social Engagement in the Fight Against COVID-19 in the Urban and Peri-Urban Areas of Cotonou (Benin, Sub-saharan Africa): Acceptability of the Vaccination and Tracking Program.DOCX

IntroductionThis article aims at investigating social engagement in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic in low-resource settings (LRSs). In particular, it focuses on Benin (Sub-Saharan Africa), and reports the results of a field study that investigated the local people's acceptance of the vaccine and the tracking program.
MethodsThis project is the product of a collaboration between the ABSPIE (Applied Biomedical and Signal Processing E-Health) Lab of the University of Warwick (UK) and the LAMA (Laboratoire d'Antropologie Medical Appliqué) of the University of Abomey Calavi (Benin). This international multidisciplinary collaboration brought together engineers, sociologists, anthropologists, and bioethicists. In light of the aims of the project, a qualitative methodology was deemed appropriate. The research team prepared two questionnaires that provided the basis for semi-structured interviews that took place between June and August 2021.
ResultsThe research team interviewed 34 Beninese respondents, comprising people aged 60+ (with multiple comorbidities), who were primarily healthcare workers and/or traditional therapists. The results of this work highlight the fact that there is widespread reticence about the vaccination program in Benin, both due to local beliefs and uncertainty about governmental management. In this study, we uncovered several local reasons interfering with the involvement of the population in the vaccination campaign against COVID-19, e.g., the existence of traditional medical practices considered as valid alternatives to vaccines, and many beliefs showing a fear of neo-colonialism hidden in the pandemic threat. Yet, another hindrance can be traced to shortcomings in the management of the vaccination campaign which resulted in obstacles to the implementation of the program.
ConclusionsThis work does not intend to denounce any governmental effort or foster a regressive mindset, but shows how the overall confusion (defined by the World Health Organization as infodemic) linked to the pandemic and its management has caused even more dramatic consequences in LRSs. In addition, the paper proposes a specific framework for the interpretation and management of bioethical and biomedical issues in LRSs that the authors are validating in their current research.

引言
本文旨在探究低资源地区（low-resource settings, LRSs）应对新冠疫情（COVID-19 pandemic）过程中的社会参与情况。研究聚焦于撒哈拉以南非洲的贝宁，报告了一项实地研究的结果，该研究旨在调查当地民众对疫苗及追踪项目的接受度。

研究方法
本项目由英国华威大学（University of Warwick）应用生物医学与信号处理电子健康实验室（Applied Biomedical and Signal Processing E-Health Lab, ABSPIE）与贝宁阿波美-卡拉维大学（University of Abomey Calavi）应用医学人类学实验室（Laboratoire d'Antropologie Medical Appliqué, LAMA）合作完成。这项跨国多学科合作汇聚了工程师、社会学家、人类学家与生物伦理学家。鉴于本项目的研究目标，定性研究方法被认为是合适的研究路径。研究团队编制了两份问卷，以此作为2021年6月至8月期间开展的半结构化访谈的基础。

研究结果
研究团队共访谈了34名贝宁受访者，其中包括60岁以上（伴有多种合并症）的人群，且受访者主要为医护人员及/或传统治疗师。本研究结果显示，贝宁国内民众对新冠疫苗接种项目普遍存在抵触情绪，这一现象既源于本土信仰，也源于民众对政府管理的不信任。研究发现了若干阻碍民众参与新冠疫苗接种运动的本土因素：例如，存在被视为疫苗有效替代方案的传统医疗实践，以及诸多认为新冠疫情威胁暗藏新殖民主义图谋的观念。此外，疫苗接种运动管理中存在的不足，也对项目落地造成了阻碍。

结论
本研究无意指责任何政府的抗疫努力，也无意助长倒退心态，而是旨在阐明，与新冠疫情及其防控相关的整体混乱局面（被世界卫生组织（World Health Organization, WHO）定义为信息疫情（infodemic）），在低资源地区造成了更为严重的后果。此外，本文提出了一套用于解读和管理低资源地区生物伦理与生物医学问题的专属框架，该框架目前正由作者团队在后续研究中进行验证。