Provision To recruit a local research company/team to support the Research on root causes of poor maternal, family and, social compliance with childhood
1. Background: Sri Lanka has achieved very high immunization coverage for all antigens in the National Immunization Programme which has resulted in eliminating many vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs). However, recent statistics with reference to child immunization reveal that there is an emerging trend of vaccine hesitancy, especially among small clusters of certain community groups, which is a significant challenge for eliminating VPDs and outbreak prevention (Ministry of Health, 2023). The evidence shows that MMR-1 vaccine has been refused by 1352 individuals/families while the MMR-2 vaccine has been refused by 2200 individuals/families (Ministry of Health, 2021). It is shown that in the health districts of Colombo, Gampaha, Kalutara, Kandy, Kalmunai, Galle, Puttalam, Matara and Batticaloa more than 50 refusal cases have been reported. It would be significant to find out the root causes/Drivers of vaccine hesitancy among target social groups and develop a program to overcome vaccine hesitancy among these target groups. Thus, UNICEF Sri Lanka seeks a company/team to conduct formative research on root causes/drivers of poor maternal, family and, social compliance with childhood immunization and identify strategies to improve the demand for childhood vaccination in this target group.
