Polio Pulse

Polio Pulse provides social listening insights to support GPEI’s polio interventions on disinformation, crisis communication, and strategic communication. Data is monitored from polio-endemic and outbreak countries and geographies classified by GPEI, covering 12 major languages spoken in these regions. The platform is managed by the UNICEF Digital Community Engagement (DCE) team.

Medium Risk

Parents boast about refusing polio drops as Pakistan reports 14th case this year

Geography
Pakistan
Themes
Necessity
Safety and side effects

Analysis

On July 1, Pakistan confirmed a polio case in North Waziristan, bringing the total to 14 this year. As health officials urged parents to ensure that all children receive polio drops, a trending video and social media post declared that “the polio vaccine is a curse.” The post received dozens of responses claiming that polio vaccines are “not right” and “dangerous.” In the comments, parents boasted about refusing polio vaccines and other vaccines for their children. Other commenters promoted homeopathic (unproven and alternative) medicine over allopathic (conventional and evidence-based) medicine

Recommendations

Posts promoting fake alternatives to polio vaccines often spread online. Health communicators may explain that homeopathic medicine and other “alternative” remedies are not effective against polio and that vaccination is the only way to protect children against the disease. Messaging may emphasize that vaccines have been studied and proven to be safe by experts for decades. Billions of children and multiple generations of families worldwide have received vaccines, which have saved millions of lives.