UNICEF is launching a new global campaign on 24 April to emphasize the power and
safety of vaccines among parents and wider social media users.
The campaign will run alongside
World Immunization Week from 24 to 30 April to spread the message that together
communities, including parents, can protect everyone through vaccines.
#VaccinesWork has long been used to bring
together immunization advocates online. This year, UNICEF is partnering with
the Bill & Melinda
Gates Foundation, the World
Health Organization (WHO),
and Gavi, the Vaccine
Alliance to encourage even
greater reach. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will
contribute USD$ 1 to UNICEF for every like or share of social media posts using
the hashtag #VaccinesWork in April, up to USD$1 million, to ensure all children
get the life-saving vaccines they need.
Vaccines save up
to 3 million lives yearly, protecting children from potentially deadly, highly
infectious diseases such as measles, pneumonia, cholera, and diphtheria. Thanks
to vaccines, fewer people died from measles between
2000 and 2017 and polio is on the verge of being eradicated. Vaccines are one of the most cost-effective health
tool
ever invented – every USD$1 spent on childhood immunization returns up to USD$44
in benefits.
“We want the
awareness that #VaccinesWork to go viral,” said Robin Nandy, UNICEF’s Chief of
Immunization. “Vaccines are safe, and they save lives. This campaign is an
opportunity to show the world that social media can be a powerful force for
change and provide parents with trustworthy information on
vaccines.”
The campaign is part of a global, week-long celebration
under the theme, Protected Together:
Vaccines Work,
to honour Vaccine Heroes – from parents and community members to
health workers and innovators.
“More
children than ever before are being reached with vaccines today,” said Violaine
Mitchell, Interim Director of Vaccine Delivery at the Bill & Melinda Gates
Foundation. “We are delighted to work with UNICEF and all the global and
country partners around the world who are working tirelessly to ensure all
children, especially those in the world’s poorest countries, can be protected
from life-threatening infectious diseases.”
Despite the benefits of vaccines, an estimated 1.5
million children died of vaccine-preventable diseases in 2017. While this is
often due to lack of access to vaccines, in some countries, families are
delaying or refusing to vaccinate their children because of complacency or
skepticism about vaccines. This has resulted in several outbreaks, including an
alarming surge in measles, especially in higher-income countries. Uncertainty
about vaccines on digital and social media platforms is one of the factors
driving this trend.
That is why the centerpiece
of this UNICEF campaign is a 60-second animated film, “Dangers,” which, along with illustrated animations for social
media posts and posters, is based on the relatable insight that kids, by their
very nature, are little daredevils who are constantly putting themselves in
danger. The video explains that while parents can’t
prevent all the dangers their kids get themselves into, they can use vaccination
to help prevent the dangers that get into their kids.
Immunization coverage in Nigeria was only
57.2% in 2018. This is far below the
Global Vaccine Action Plan (GVAP) target of 90 percent.
However, the clear benefit of vaccines can be
seen in the case of polio, where vaccines have been crucial in eradication
efforts. The country has been free of any case of wild polio virus since
September 2016 and is on track for being declared polio-free by the end of this
year. The success of polio vaccines in eliminating polio has, among other
factors, been linked to the low cost and oral administration route of vaccines,
enabling mass delivery.
Angélique Kidjo, UNICEF
Goodwill Ambassador and Grammy Award-Winning Singer:
“Today nine in ten
children receive immunizations, but we cannot leave anyone behind. We must
reach every child with life-saving vaccines.”
No comments:
Post a Comment