Minister Musa Comments on Antivaxxers Posing as Doctors

Kareem Musa

Today New Five joined Minister of Home Affairs and New Growth Industries, Kareem Musa for a leg of his countrywide tour. This morning he was at Caye Caulker. We will have that story for you later in the newscast, but while we were with the minister we asked him for comment on the antivaxxer group, Belize Rights and Justice Movement.

Kareem Musa, Minister of Home Affairs & New Growth Industries

“I don’t want in any way to be critical and bash the antivaxxers. The issue that I have as minister is that some of them are claiming to be doctors when in fact they are not. And so they are not qualified to be giving medical advice. And I think that has been counterproductive for them – the fact that you’re claiming to be a doctor when you are not. So that has had actually the reverse effect and now more people are saying well if this is what an antivaxxer campaign looks like, we don’t want to be a part of that; we have to listen to the professionals – the doctors and nurses who have been on the frontline who have studied this thing, who can educate us and inform us on the proper path.”

The President of the Belize Medical and Dental Association, Dr. Uldine Wright told News Five on Tuesday that under the Belize Medical Act, any person purporting to be a doctor could face fines or even jail time.