Category entered: Public sector campaign

Title of entry: National polio vaccination campaign

Budget: $250,000 (20% of the advertising budget)

It was believed that there would be resistance among parents and possibly also among some medical professionals, which would be expressed not only through preventing children from being vaccinated but also through actively urging other parents not to vaccinate their children out of fear of subjecting them to an unjustified risk:

The challenge

Opposition was foreseen regarding the issue of 'social vaccination', that children would be revaccinated only to protect the unvaccinated while they themselves were being exposed to the disease

It was known that certain groups of parents are opposed to vaccinations in general and it was expected that they would exploit the situation to deter other parents

The primary challenge was to prepare an information campaign that would allay the parents’ fears, to counteract the disinformation coming from various interest groups and from parents who either lacked information or were misinformed, and to head off any accusations that the Health Ministry was endangering children’s health. These scenarios indeed materialized as the campaign began.

The Health Ministry’s Facebook page was updated daily to show the geographical spread of the polio virus and the number of vaccinations given throughout the country.

Notices were posted on general websites inviting the public to ask doctors questions and on the importance of the vaccination program and possible side effects.

In response to frequently asked questions, video clips, mainly based on infographics, were posted on YouTube and were complemented by Facebook banners featuring questions and answers. These visuals drew hundreds of thousands of views.

In accordance with the vaccination program’s progress, we held frequent chats and live video events with senior doctors that were aimed at various population sectors.

Partnerships with local authorities enabled us to transmit the message via the municipality’s Facebook pages.

The results

Some 980,000 children were vaccinated, attaining a 75% vaccination rate, which exceeded the 70% target and the spread of the virus was halted.

The World Health Organization lauded the vaccination program’s results and the Health Ministry’s information campaign, especially the social media component. WHO polio unit

spokespersons sought to learn about the steps taken on the social networks during the campaign.

The Ministry of Health was praised both by the media and by many citizens for its doctors’ constant presence and direct responses, and also for its active participation in the lively discussion on the social networks