UNICEF Immunisation Campaign Goes Digital in India

UNICEF India has launched #babiesneedyou, a digital campaign that implores parents, future parents and the general public to put vaccination high on their priority list.

The campaign seeks to create strong advocates in every community and family to help raise awareness about the need for full immunisation for each and every child.

This initiative supports the efforts led by the Government of India for routine immunisation under Mission Indradhanush, which started Monday.

According to UNICEF, immunisation is one of the most successful public health initiatives. Each year, globally, vaccines avert an estimated 2 to 3 million deaths from life threatening diseases that disproportionately affect children.

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Immunisation saves 400,000 children every year in India where the Ministry of Health carries out the largest immunisation operation in the world, reaching 27 million infants and 30 million pregnant women annually, says UNICEF.

Beyond raising awareness on the importance of immunisation on social media, the campaign aims at engaging the public into action by offering different ways to “Donate Time” to the cause.

Citizens can spread the word on social media with ready to share tweets and Facebook posts for immunisation awareness. Friends and relatives of new parents can choose to throw an immunisation challenge at them.

Alternatively, the unconventional activists can play ‘The Immunisation Hit’. They can even play an interactive video to raise a cute virtual baby called BabyMe and make important health-related decisions for her. All of these online activation tools are available here.