Strategic Response to Media Following Lancet Letter

This article was featured in the September 2007 issue of the India Polio Communication Update, a monthly publication put together by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in India. The article describes the polio network's response to a recent Lancet journal article, in which the safety and effectiveness of monovalent type-1 oral polio vaccine (mOPV1) was questioned. This vaccine has been used throughout the polio-endemic states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar to limit the spread of type 1 poliovirus. The authors of the journal article claimed that the vaccine is still experimental and directly linked its usage to increased numbers in non-polio acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) cases in these areas.

India's National Polio Surveillance Project (NPSP) responded to these allegations through a letter which stated that the vaccine was neither new nor experimental, and was simply re-licensed for use in 2005. The rise in non-polio AFP cases was also explained by NPSP as having occurred in areas where mOPV1 was not in use, and was attributed to increased sensitivity of surveillance activities and not an actual increase in case numbers. These facts were released to the media, and although few journalists reportedly covered both sides of this controversy, media trend analysis reflected minimal negative impact on polio vaccination as a result of the Lancet article. This was seen, according to the article, as a positive reflection on the ability of the polio media strategy to cope with information that may jeopardise the success of the polio eradication programme.

The national polio media strategy currently in place in India places emphasis on monitoring of media in Delhi, Mumbai, Lucknow, and western Uttar Pradesh. It outlines action points such as proactively engaging with media and editors, and leveraging support of prominent medical and community associations. The strategy aims to minimise the amount and impact of negative polio reporting, and provide journalists with access to positive and accurate information.