Gates Package — page 1052

effect of syphilis on hundreds of Black men, without giving them their true diagnosis, and even withholding treatment once it became available eleven years into the study. There are also socioeconomic factors that don't have anything to do with fear, mistrust, or misinformation--like whether you're able to get to an immunization site. Many people don't have the transportation to get to a clinic that's miles away. Maybe they can't afford to stop working or get someone to watch their kids. In some parts of the world, it's not safe for women to travel long distances by themselves. But the research also shows that you're not going to persuade uncertain people by simply throwing more facts at them. You need to meet them where they are--literally and figuratively. That means vaccines need to be affordable or free, and available nearby at a time when people can get to them. It helps when people see politicians and celebrities getting vaccinated. And maybe most of all, they need to hear the truth from trusted sources, like religious leaders and local health workers they already know. In Zambia, anyone in search of good information can tune the radio to FM 99.1. Once a week, Catholic nun and social worker Sister Astridah Banda hosts the "COVID-19 Awareness Program," a talk show where she and her guests discuss health topics--with a focus on preventing COVID--and answer questions from callers.Sister Astridah is not a doctor, but she is passionate about public health. When COVID arrived in Zambia, she noticed that most of the public health bulletins were being written in English. Although English is an official language in Zambia, many people speak one of the country's local languages, and they were missing out. She approached Yatsani Community Radio and asked to start broadcasts on which she could translate the bulletins into local languages and share other information about the virus. Her show now reaches more than 1.5 million people.