Recent infectious disease outbreaks show that inadequate consideration of social, cultural, political, and religious factors in humanitarian responses has consequences for community acceptance of, and the effectiveness of, response activities. A growing number of studies have focused on the historical, social, cultural, and political determinants of vaccine acceptance, and highlighted the specificities of these dynamics during emergencies. Given the range of disease types and contexts, there is a need to understand different perspectives on vaccines and outbreaks, including: political and economic factors that determine whether and how vaccines can be effectively deployed in an emergency; health system realities closely tied to cultural, policy, and historical developments; and local systems of knowledge to identify community perceptions surrounding vaccine use. This SSHAP Practical Approaches brief can be used by health-care providers/non-governmental organisations (NGOs), national and global-level policymakers, and industry actors to gain social science inputs in vaccine deployment efforts to provide practical solutions to re-occurring challenges, including vaccine refusal.
Briefing
Tools
Social science research for vaccine deployment in epidemic outbreaks
UNICEF/UN0228950/Naftalin
On 10 August 2018, an Ebola vaccination team member (left) prepares to administer the Ebola vaccine in Beni, North Kivu, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
Following the 1 August 2018 announcement by the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) of a new Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreak in North Kivu, UNICEF has mobilized its teams to help contain the spread of the disease and protect children. The impact of an outbreak on children can be far reaching. It’s known from earlier outbreaks in the DRC as well as in West Africa that children can be affected in various ways. Children can themselves be infected by the disease, but the impact goes beyond; it impacts their families and communities as children can lose their parents, care-givers and teachers. Access to basic services such as health care and education can become severely compromised. Also, children who are infected or whose relatives are, face stigmatization and social exclusion.
The Congolese Government has activated its response plan and called its partners, including UNICEF, to participate in the response. UNICEF has deployed a team to Beni for the response, including health specialists, communication specialists and a water, sanitation and hygiene specialist from the Ebola-response team in the Province of Equateur. Health, water, sanitation and hygiene and communication supplies have been sent to the affected areas including 300 laser thermometers to monitor the health conditions of people in the affected region and 2,000 kg of chlorine to treat water to help contain the spread of the disease. As at 14 August 2018, UNICEF has installed 35 chlorination points, as well as handwashing units in 45 public places and in health facilities in the affected areas of Beni and Mangina in North Kivu. UNICEF has supported the distribution of prevention posters and leaflets, and worked with communities, in public places and with local radio stations to promote safe hygiene and sanitation
