Sabin Vaccine Institute Receives $10M Grant to Raise Confidence in Vaccines

WASHINGTON, March 12, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Sabin Vaccine Institute (Sabin) today announced it has received a three-year grant valued at $10.4 million to strengthen vaccine acceptance. In 2019, the World Health Organization identified vaccine hesitancy – the reluctance or refusal to vaccinate despite the availability of vaccines – as one of the top 10 threats to global health.

Funding provided through a National Philanthropic Trust grant will launch Sabin’s new Vaccine Acceptance and Demand initiative and support several program areas: educating media and health care professionals on vaccines and immunization, supporting community-level social and behavioral research to understand vaccine acceptance and hesitancy, and enhancing understanding of social media influence on vaccination decisions. 

The initiative is led by Sabin Global Immunization President Dr. Bruce Gellin who commented, “Vaccine hesitancy is creating a global health risk that must be addressed. Misinformation and disinformation about vaccines cost lives daily in communities around the world, as witnessed during the ongoing global measles resurgence. Through Sabin’s role at the intersection of immunization programs, policy and research, we will partner with local researchers, national immunization programs and other global health organizations to build evidence and provide the resources, connections and information stakeholders need to reverse this dangerous trend.”

Sabin CEO Amy Finan said, “Building on Sabin’s past work, our new Vaccine Acceptance and Demand initiative will expand the depth and breadth of our commitment to provide reliable information about vaccines to media and health professionals, while also expanding our understanding of vaccine acceptance decision making through both social media and social and behavioral research. Our ultimate goal is to build trust in vaccines so that patients are likely to accept vaccines and protect their health, as well as the health of their families and communities.”  

Sabin’s Vaccine Acceptance and Demand initiative focuses on three interrelated work streams: 

-  Communicate the importance and value of immunization and dispel vaccine misinformation by supporting media and health care professionals through Immunization Advocates. The new funding will expand Sabin’s existing program, which provides timely and accurate immunization information via online resources and tools, in-person workshops and access to knowledgeable immunization experts.

-  Following a successful pilot, launch programming to support researchers in low- and middle-income countries to improve vaccination acceptance through social and behavioral interventions with research grants and capacity-building activities. This work leverages Sabin’s existing Vaccination Acceptance Research Network. 

-  Improve understanding of social media influence on vaccination decisions by working with social media researchers to define priorities and test interventions, with the goal of increasing vaccination acceptance.

About the Sabin Vaccine Institute
The Sabin Vaccine Institute is a leading advocate for expanding vaccine access and uptake globally, advancing vaccine research and development, and amplifying vaccine knowledge and innovation. Unlocking the potential of vaccines through partnership, Sabin has built a robust ecosystem of funders, innovators, implementers, practitioners, policy makers and public stakeholders to advance its vision of a future free from preventable diseases. As a non-profit with more than two decades of experience, Sabin is committed to finding solutions that last and extending the full benefits of vaccines to all people, regardless of who they are or where they live. At Sabin, we believe in the power of vaccines to change the world. For more information, visit sabin.org and follow us on Twitter, @SabinVaccine.

Media Contact:
Liz Powell
1-202-621-1686
press@sabin.org