The African Union's health watchdog has warned that Britain's pandemic travel restrictions could make people across the continent more reluctant to get vaccinated.

Under the restrictions, Britain only recognises vaccines administered in a few countries.

“If you send us vaccines and you say, 'we don't recognise those vaccines', it sends a very challenging message for us,” said John Nkengasong, head of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC).

That is “a message that creates confusion within our population ... creating more reticence, reluctance for people to receive vaccines,” he was quoted as saying by AFP.