Summary
During the reporting period 1st April 2020 – 31st March 2021, Child Health Foundation (CHF) focused mainly on the issue of “Vaccine Hesitancy” which is an urgent global threat but needs local solutions to increase confidence amongst community regarding vaccination, therefore, through “Vaccine Confidence” project two activities were held throughout the year. Firstly, Leadership Forum on Vaccine Confidence focusing on states that are, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh. Secondly, Regional Vaccine Confidence Workshop for various regions or states across India.
Maharashtra and Gujarat Leadership Forum on Vaccine Confidence (2nd May 2020)
The third LFVC meeting for Maharashtra and Gujarat region (MH-GJ LFVC) was held on 2nd May 2020. It was the first time that the MH-GJ LFVC was held virtually through ZOOM due to COVID-19 pandemic. Also, the pandemic has resulted in the temporary stalling of routine immunization services across the country, leading to increased spread of misinformation and fear of surges in vaccine-preventable diseases. Therefore, the members considered that this issues is necessary to address and discuss what would be the role of experts in such situation, while building on the need to develop communication aids and resources in order to build confidence in value of vaccines. Most of the experts were from Indian Academy of Pediatrics along with prominent journalists such as Bachi Karkaria and other experts from civil societies participated in the meeting.
2nd Regional Workshop on Vaccine Confidence (30-31 May 2020)
On 30-31 May 2020, CHF hosted the second Regional Workshop on Building Vaccine Confidence, virtually, amid the nationwide lockdown due to coronavirus. The workshop was conducted in three parts for over 2 days and addressed critical themes like the value of building vaccine confidence especially in the context of COVID-19; the behavioural science of vaccine hesitancy and the significance of inter-personal communication in building confidence in vaccines. The key focus of the workshop was to facilitate cross-sector knowledge sharing on common challenges, identifying areas of potential collaboration and sharing resources to equip champions from five focus states, namely, Karnataka, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. The workshop was attended by 85 participant and amongst them were technical experts like Dr Errol R Alden – President, International Pediatric Association, whereas other participants were the members of the Indian Academy of Pediatrics, medical professionals, and representatives of international organizations like UNDP, UNICEF and JSI among others. Over the course of the workshop, Child Health Foundation’s twitter handle generated 26000 impressions.
Uttar Pradesh Leadership Forum on Vaccine Confidence (16th July 2020)
1st LFVC meeting for Uttar Pradesh (UP) was held virtually through ZOOM application on 16th July 2020 due to COVID-19 pandemic. UP is the most populous state in the country and also the state of prime significance. In recent years, UP has witnessed issues related to vaccine hesitancy. However, there is currently no unified platform that encourages health experts and social leaders to discuss vaccine confidence issues in the state. LFVC serves as a platform to help counter misinformation and rumours about vaccination. The participants were from different walks of life including pediatricians, journalists, and members of civil societies, all coming together to discuss different ways which can be used to counter misinformation around vaccination.
Uttar Pradesh Leadership Forum on Vaccine Confidence (11th September 2020)
Second virtual LFVC for Uttar Pradesh region was held on 11th September 2020. The meeting largely focused on developing a holistic messaging framework with the support of VoICE platform for UP population. Dr. Manisha Pathak who is the head of Center of Development Management and Communication at Mudra Institute of Communications, Ahmedabad, assessed in designing the framework and compiling the messages in a logical framework. An eminent journalist, Khushdeep Sehgal who is Associate Editor of TV TODAY NETWORK was amongst the participants in the meeting.
Maharashtra and Gujarat Leadership Forum on Vaccine Confidence (28th September 2020)
Fourth virtual MH-GJ LFVC meeting was held on 28th September 2020. This meeting mainly a concluding session of LFVC for both the states. The members mainly focused on how to address misinformation around vaccination, what to generate confidence amongst community regarding vaccination amidst COVID – 19 pandemic situation. And how to involve various stakeholders from different walks of life. This session also introduces the National Platform on Vaccine Confidence as next step of the LFVC.