PMAC 2024

Side Meetings

SMB304

Advancing Child Immunization in Thailand: Harnessing Digital Communication Tools and Social and Behavior Change Messaging for Impact

22
Jan

  • 14:00 - 17:30 HRS. (BKK)

  • Venue : Lotus Suite 2

  • Contact Person : Eric Arndt, earndt@rockfound.org

Organizers
  • PATH
  • The Rockefeller Foundation

While Thailand like many other countries encountered numerous challenges in combating the COVID-19 pandemic, the country had a distinct advantage. Through its existing enabling environment of digital health platforms and infrastructure, as well as comfort in navigating the use of digital tools, Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) was able to combat the pandemic and reach most of the population with vaccines and information relatively rapidly.  

Nonetheless, vaccine hesitancy is on the rise. Driven by a complex interplay of factors including misinformation and deeply ingrained cultural beliefs, vaccine hesitancy has had a particularly adverse effect on the health of populations in remote, underserved, or conflict-affected areas. MOPH is committed to better understanding and addressing vaccine hesitancy in order to improve individual health outcomes and reach national immunization goals. 

Organized through the Digital Results Improve Vaccine Equity and Demand (DRIVE Demand) project, this panel discussion aims to offer a platform for experts and stakeholders to exchange their experiences, insights, and learnings from COVID-19 vaccination and use them to improve immunization for children under five years of age. In Thailand, DRIVE Demand aims to support the Department of Disease Control at MOPH in increasing vaccine awareness, acceptance, and activation in order to increase COVID-19 vaccine uptake and strengthen broader routine immunization programs. This session will discuss DRIVE Demand’s use of SBC messaging strategies combined with digital communication tools to reach parents and caregivers in Narathiwat Province with targeted, prompt, and compelling information, thereby fostering vaccine acceptance within the community.  

In conclusion, this panel discussion will highlight Thailand’s challenges with vaccine hesitancy and how the MOPH can harness its existing infrastructure for digital tools with SBC messaging to help meet national immunization goals. 

 

  • Combatting vaccine hesitancy: The panel will cover the need to combat vaccine hesitancy, particularly in remote, underserved, or conflict-affected areas of Thailand, by understanding mitigating factors such as misinformation and cultural beliefs.  Additionally, the panel will discuss how the experiences and insights gained from COVID-19 vaccination efforts can be leveraged to enhance all immunization programs for children under five years of age.  

  • Utilizing social and behavior change (SBC) strategies supported by digital tools: The discussion will examine how social and behaviour change (SBC) messaging strategies can be integrated with digital communication tools. This approach seeks to connect with parents and caregivers by delivering targeted, prompt, and compelling information, helping to tackle vaccine hesitancy and fostering acceptance of immunization within the community. This initiative aligns with and expands upon the efforts of Digital Square at PATH under the Digital Results Improve Vaccine Equity and Demand (DRIVE Demand) project in collaboration with the DDC Foundation and with support from The Rockefeller Foundation.