Role of media key to clearing myths, doubts about vaccines: Health expert

PTI, Siliguri, Dec 18, 2023 : Media’s role is crucial in creating awareness among people about government health services and also for clearing myths and doubts about vaccines, an expert said.

Media can also play a key role in helping the West Bengal government and Unicef in carrying out 100 per cent immunisation drives in the state by spreading the message that vaccines are safe and effective in preventing diseases, Dr Suresh Thakur, health officer, UNICEF, West Bengal, said.

"Media’s role is very important in creating awareness among the general population about government health services and in clearing doubts on immunisation programmes," Thakur told PTI on the sidelines of a workshop on development journalism for healthcare issues held in Siliguri recently.

The workshop was organised by Kolkata Press Club in collaboration with Unicef, West Bengal.

"The media has done excellent work in the past to improve awareness and we look forward to their support in future too," the health officer said.

Unicef regularly conducts communication awareness programmes and media’s role is very important, he added.

"Whenever campaigns are conducted for immunisation drives, we organise a sensitisation programme for the media so that they can help in creating awareness among people," Thakur said.

Vaccinations are considered the most cost-effective intervention that can improve the overall health of children.

According to the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5) report of 2019-2020, eighty-eight per cent of children in West Bengal, within the age group 12-23 months, have received all basic vaccinations against six major childhood illnesses –tuberculosis, diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, polio, and measles.

A whopping 99 per cent of children were at least partially vaccinated and only less than one per cent had not received any vaccinations, officials said.

In West Bengal, mothers whose last birth were protected against neonatal tetanus, was 94.6 per cent with 96 per cent in urban areas and 94.2 per cent in rural areas, according to the NFHS-5 report.

Positive and evidence-based reporting by media can help the state government achieve 100 per cent vaccination in the state, Thakur said.

He said there are still some pockets in the state’s remote areas where people are not aware of the benefits of vaccines and that these are given free of cost to children and pregnant women in all government health facilities.

Thakur said loss of wages by daily labourers is also one of the reasons why people don't take children or pregnant women to the immunisation centres.

Fear of adverse effects following immunisation (AEFI), inconvenient timing or location of immunisation centres, areas with no ASHA workers, out-of-pocket expenses (OOPE) are some of the reasons why people don't take their children to the immunisation centre, he said.

Kolkata Press Club president Snehashis Sur said, "We wanted journalists to have domain knowledge. To report correctly, journalists are supposed to know what they are writing about."

Speaking at the workshop, Darjeeling chief medical officer health (CMOH) Tulsi Parmanik said in 2013-2104, an unknown fever claimed the lives of many in the district, triggering panic.

He said after tests confirmed that the deaths were due to Japanese encephalitis, the media started writing about it and told people not to worry as the government was taking steps to contain the disease by giving vaccines.

Positive and evidence-based reporting by the media helped the government to remove panic among people about the unknown fever, Pramanik said.

More than 6 lakh immunisation sessions are planned this financial year.

"Unicef has been working with the government of India and the ministry of health and family welfare on immunisation programmes for a long time. We have supported governments of various states in trying to orient, promote and also create awareness and mass mobilisation so that children get vaccines at the right time," Unicef communication officer Suchorita Bardhan said.

If all children are to receive all their vaccines on time, it is the parents who have to be mobilised and made aware about the importance of vaccination, Bardhan said.

"With the assurance of services, supply and access, we would be able to cover 100 per cent children in West Bengal", the officer said.