Resources for Malaria Vaccination Demand Promotion and Communications

"New vaccine introduction requires a range of strategies to achieve high confidence and uptake."



As of October 2023, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends the use of malaria vaccines for children living in endemic areas, prioritising settings with moderate and high transmission. To support the rollout of malaria vaccines with high demand and uptake, a group of immunisation and malaria partners developed a set of tools, templates, and guidance based on evidence and experience since the first malaria vaccine (RTS,S) was introduced in 2019.



The resources offer practical and adaptable guidance on how to: carry out planning and coordination; gather and use behavioural data for planning and evaluation; support health worker interactions; engage with communities; promote accurate information; prepare for and respond to communication-related events; and connect malaria vaccination activities to broader integrated approaches for vaccine equity, life-course vaccination, primary health care strengthening, and malaria prevention and control.



The resources consist of:

1. Key Messages on Malaria Vaccination for Health Workers and Caregivers [English and French, 4 pages] - provides:
   • Information on the malaria vaccine for health workers (for vaccine introduction and ongoing implementation activities); and
   • Key messages for health workers to deliver to caregivers about malaria vaccination.
2. Promoting Demand for Malaria Vaccination: A Planning Guide [English 33 pages; French 38 pages; Portuguese 37 pages]. This document is intended to serve as a practical, how-to guide for immunisation and programme managers, health promotion officers, and community and other implementing partners to introduce and sustain within national immunisation programmes high demand for malaria vaccination for children living in regions with moderate to high malaria transmission. It outlines a demand promotion plan that may include the following: gathering and use of behavioural and social data; behavioural interventions, including health worker support; communication and community engagement, with messaging tailored for specific audience groups; risk communication; and monitoring and evaluation, including output and outcome measures. Annexes include: planning template (Excel); tools and guidance for the behavioural and social drivers (BeSD) of malaria vaccination; key messages and sample materials; and community engagement for the malaria vaccine introduction.
3. Risk Communications on Malaria Vaccination: A Guide [English, 20 pages; French, 23 pages; Portuguese, 23 pages]. Real or perceived vaccine-related issues can pose risks for the acceptance and uptake of a new vaccine or immunisation programme if they are not identified and addressed promptly and appropriately. Developing and implementing a risk communication plan, including the use of social and community listening to identify, track, and address issues promptly, can improve the mitigation response to potential risks that may arise. This document provides guidance about how to create such a risk communication plan in the context of malaria vaccine introduction. It includes the key elements of a plan, communication preparedness and response considerations, and tools to use in risk scenarios. Annexes include: steps to risk communication planning; potential scenarios; sample statements; and a checklist for an escalating situation.

The resource's collaborators include representatives of the following organisations: Gavi the Vaccine Alliance; International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC); Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs (CCP); JSI Ghana; PATH; Public Health Institute; US Centers for Disease Control; United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF); United States Agency for International Development (USAID); United States President's Initiative for Malaria (PMI); University of Sydney, Australia; University of Toronto, Canada; and World Health Organization (WHO).