Immunization Campaigns: Mitigating Barriers - Designing Communication

Abstract

This paper revisits varied conceptual frameworks of the strategic communication, especially applicable on vaccination challenges that the immunization programmes are confronted with world over and how critical it is to ensure addressing the "last mile" gaps in attaining cent percent vaccination coverage. It is based on consolidated reflections gathered together through varied field experiences and study of programme approaches. It assumes further significance as ensuring social-inclusion of vulnerable, hard-to-reach and poor populace is the key to using strategic communication as a marketing communication approach in bringing about positive behaviour change in the communities. Across the world, the public health programmes have been struggling for many decades in reaching out to communities and delivering the vaccination programmes. Despite the efforts invested in by the respective governments on supply aspects of vaccinations, social scientists continue to face challenges with the demand generation dimensions of the immunization programmes. Therefore, a significant emphasis on the "health seeking behavior" aspects in individuals and their respective communities play a significant role in achieving cent percent immunization coverage. The current paper propounds a model called Vaccination Communication Model, i.e. "VCM" which provides a modular approach in facilitating design of its immunization communication strategy.