C. Social mobilization
The costs of social mobilization activities include three components:
1. Behavioral and social data collection
2. Social listening
3. Social mobilization activities associated with prior ‘new vaccine introductions’
As components (1) and (2) were not costed in prior analyses of new vaccine introductions, we
gathered information from experts at WHO, UNICEF, BMGF, Common Thread and Johns
Hopkins University. For behavioral and social data collection, the WHO recommends a sample
size of 400 people for the immunization survey instrument that is currently being pilot tested at a
likely cost of US$ 80 per interview. Hence, we assumed a cost of US$ 30,000 per country on
average as the default assumption. For countries with a population size greater than 10 million or
with major conflict zones, we assumed a cost of $100,000, as either a larger sample size or higher
cost per interview would be expected. Countries with a population size less than 10 million
categorized with major conflict zones are Central African Republic, Eritrea, Guinea-Bissau and
West Bank and Gaza.
For social listening, following consultation with the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication
Programs, we assumed that one monitoring and evaluation (M&E) level officer would be required
to monitor social media, off line media, data from helplines and other community feedback
mechanism, analyze data and produce reports, which would systematically feed into the
programme to inform communication strategies, advocacy agenda and programme response. Two
M&E level officers were assumed required in countries with a population size greater than ten
million or with major conflict zones. Health care worker wages were estimated as multiples of
GDP using estimation from a paper by Serie et al
14
that reports salaries for three groups; medical
doctors, nurses and midwives, and other health care workers. We used an average of the multiple
for the latter two groups.
Social mobilization for supporting new vaccine introduction include social mapping at community
level to identify priority population to be vaccinated, influencers, and their profiles; production
and dissemination of message content, mass media and print material; community engagement
activities, such as dialogue at community level, interpersonal communication at household level
through social mobilisers and CSO engagement, mobilization of youth groups, men and women
group, community based organization and religious leaders. This also includes capacity building
of frontline workers on social and behavior change communication and costs for monitoring and
supervision of communication and community engagement activities.
We utilized estimates from the Immunization Delivery Cost Catalogue