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.

Low Risk

Social media users call polio vaccines unnecessary “poison”

Geography
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Themes
Necessity
Safety and side effects

Analysis

Several social media posts about polio campaigns in the Democratic Republic of the Congo received negative comments about polio vaccines. Some posts called polio vaccines “poison.” Other commenters say that the vaccines are not needed because children survive without them and the disease is “almost nonexistent.”

Recommendations

Some people believe that polio vaccines are unnecessary or unsafe, but that is not true. Continuing to explain that polio vaccines are safe and the only way to protect children against polio is recommended.