Train. Monitor. Respond.
We're decreasing the impact of misinformation and increasing vaccine demand.
Lead by UNICEF, the VDO is training infodemic managers to monitor misinformation and respond to it with evidence-based communication strategies.
Our unique approach
The VDO uses a three-part approach: Identifying misinformation and information gaps; responding to misinformation with the Vaccine Acceptance Interventions Lab (VAIL), and ongoing training and technical assistance.
Identifying Misinformation & Information Gaps
Throughout the world, the majority of misinformation spreading through communities does not appear in media monitoring systems used by global fact-checkers.
The VDO aggregates UNICEF’s existing community reporting tools—including surveys, field reports, and local media sources not included in any existing global media monitoring system—into a single system. This system is built to support individual countries’ immunization programs and risk communications and community engagement task forces. Alerts to misinformation, disinformation, and gaps in information are provided to each participating country and visualized within the VDO Dashboard.
By centralizing global and country-level insights, the VDO enables communities to address vaccine misinformation and boost vaccine demand.
Responding to misinformation with strategic communication
The Vaccine Acceptance Interventions Lab (VAIL) prioritizes action-oriented research to respond to misinformation.
First, the Yale Institute for Global Health develops and tests communications across multiple countries and populations. These findings are then shared through VDO with UNICEF country offices and their partners and in peer-reviewed publications.
VAIL facilitates country-level research, including process and outcome evaluations throughout the year. UNICEF country offices play an active role in these studies, sharing their local expertise globally.
- Process evaluations focus on A/B testing vaccine communications across a range of community and country settings. These studies enable immediately actionable plans.
- Outcome evaluations take the form of randomized controlled trials, measuring vaccine hesitancy, confidence, and uptake.
VAIL also prioritizes rapid response communications. When information gaps or misinformation is reported to the VDO, VAIL provides strategic communication guidance, including suggested risk communication tailored to national and local contexts. VAIL also provides communication materials, such as video, images, and text, that are freely available.
Training and technical assistance
A truly multidisciplinary collaboration
