Kagera —To strengthen vaccine demand creation and address gaps in immunization uptake, the World Health Organization, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health Tanzania through the Immunization and Vaccine Development (IVD) Department and with support from Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, convened a two-day capacity-building workshop in Biharamulo District, Kagera Region.
The workshop aimed to equip frontline stakeholders with skills to strengthen community engagement, address misinformation, and improve uptake of routine childhood immunization services in affected communities.
The training brought together 43 participants, including Health Promotion Coordinators, immunization coordinators, media personnel, community health workers, faith leaders, local influencers, and civil society organizations. It focused on strengthening community engagement, addressing misinformation, and improving childhood immunization uptake in communities affected by the outbreak.
The initiative forms part of ongoing recovery efforts after the Marburg outbreak, declared in Kagera Region on 20 January 2025, significantly disrupted routine immunization and other essential health services. Fear of infection, misinformation, and reduced health-seeking behaviour led to missed vaccination opportunities, leaving many children unprotected against vaccine-preventable diseases.
As of February 2026, an estimated 15% of children in Kagera had received no routine vaccinations (zero-dose), while about 4% had missed subsequent doses of key vaccines, increasing the risk of outbreaks of diseases such as measles, rubella, and polio.
Officiating the workshop, Kagera Regional Medical Officer, Dr. Samwel Laizer, emphasized the importance of community engagement in sustaining immunization gains:
“Sustaining immunization gains requires strong engagement with communities. We must ensure that accurate information reaches every household and that communities are empowered to make informed decisions about vaccination.”
He also underscored the importance of early detection and timely reporting of unusual health events in both humans and animals:
“Prevention is cost-effective and saves lives. Timely reporting by communities, media, and local leaders is essential for early detection and response, including identifying missed or unvaccinated children.”
Mr. Penford Wangeleja, National Health Promotion Officer from the Ministry of Health, highlighted the importance of coordinated action:
“Demand creation is not only about awareness, but also about building trust. Through a One Plan, One Budget approach, we can strengthen collaboration across government, media, and communities to address misinformation and improve vaccine uptake.”
Speaking on behalf of WHO, RCCE Officer Jerry Mlembwa emphasized the role of behavioural science in strengthening immunization programmes:
“Effective vaccine demand creation requires understanding community perceptions, identifying barriers, and applying behavioural insights to design targeted and evidence-based interventions.”
He added:
“Too often, interventions are implemented without sufficient analysis of behavioural drivers. Defining behaviours, diagnosing barriers, and tailoring strategies are essential to achieving sustainable behaviour change.”
Participants were trained on integrating Risk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE) into vaccine demand creation, behaviour change approaches, audience analysis and segmentation, and inclusive risk communication strategies.
By strengthening the capacity of frontline stakeholders and trusted community voices, the initiative aims to restore confidence in immunization services, increase vaccine uptake, and protect children and communities in Kagera from vaccine-preventable diseases.
