UNICEF Trains Journalists On Vaccination Campaigns

By Khalid Idris Doya

United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has claimed that the media was its longtime partner on immunization, taking into cognisance the role it played in COVIC – 19, HPD vaccines introduction, and vowed that it cannot afford to leave the media out.

The UN agency said, “For every campaign there are some challenges we overcome. These challenges are rumour, misinformation, non-compliance. We have challenges of even vaccines rejection”.

The Social Behaviour Change specialist of UNICEF, Bauchi Field Office, George Eki spoke yesterday at the orientation of the media on Integrated Vaccination Campaigns in the country.

George stated, “We know that the media have what it takes to build the critical mass of the people that support vaccines and campaigns, and also convince other people that government means we’ll for everyone”.

He explained that the journalist is expected to go beyond the headlines, avoid sensationalism that eventually comes to damage campaigns, saying “We want journalists to do more human angles stories, and stories that bring light key successes of the campaign.

The Specialist further explained that the event is to orient journalists and give him the background of the campaign, and then it is important that the media is with the agency.

The one-day media orientation meeting was organized by the Gombe Primary Health Development Agency with support from UNICEF to orient journalists across four implementing states of Plateau, Gombe, Adamawa and Bauchi on the upcoming integrated vaccination campaign.

According to the organizers of the event, the meeting will also be used to task journalists on reportage and coverage of the campaign across the implementation states.