DOH must restore trust in vaccination program

CEBU CITY – The Department of Health (DOH) in Central Visayas needs to enhance its information, advocacy communication and promotion campaign in 2019 to restore public trust in its immunization program that was derailed by the Dengvaxia issue.

Jun Ryan Orbina, communication officer, Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) at the World Health Organization (WHO), said vaccine safety scares and hesitancy are interlinked and could cause people to respond negatively to the vaccination and immunization program.

Orbina said a study revealed that confidence in the effectiveness of vaccines dropped to 21 percent in 2018 from 82 percent in 2015, although 93 percent of the respondents believe vaccines and immunization were important.

The hesitancy in vaccine comes from the rise in cases of vaccine-preventable diseases in the country, to 36 percent in 2018, Orbina said.

He ticked off DOH data showing that from January to November last year there were 17,298 measles cases nationwide, compared to the 3,706 cases during the same period in 2017.

“How to remove the scare or hesitancy in immunization and moving on from the fears from the Dengvaxia vaccine seem to be the greatest challenge ahead,” Orbina said.

Some health workers are still uncertain on how to respond to the dengue vaccine issue, and DOH and health partners need to clarify the dengue vaccine narrative, Orbina said.

To allay fears over vaccines and immunization Orbina recommended a nationwide comprehensive and integrated communication and advocacy strategy campaign.

“We need a standard and consistent messaging that the dengue vaccine (dengvaxia) issue and routine immunizations are two different issues and another standardized tool kits for communicating risks of vaccinepreventable diseases,” Orbina said.

“Focus on core strategies of listening and engagement especially during immunization service delivery from health workers because they are still the most trusted information sources about vaccines and the immunization program,” Orbina added.

Health workers must have conversation skills to be able to convey the message that vaccinations provide complete protection from preventable diseases such as measles and dengue, he said.

To sustain messages about the “goodness health package” of vaccines especially to children, Orbina said it is vital that DOH revitalizes relationships and re-establishes trust with other partners in local communities.

Narratives like “un-vaccinated young children are highest risk of measles and to complications including death” and “have children vaccinated at the nearest health centers” are some of the messages that need to be emphasized, he said.