Social vaccine refers to comprehensive packages of interventions aimed at preventing diseases and promoting positive behaviors by addressing social determinants of health and social inequities. It differs from medical vaccines in that it focuses on societal and structural factors rather than directly targeting pathogens. Examples include education programs, stigma reduction, promoting gender equality, and legal/policy reforms. Developing an effective social vaccine involves recognizing social and economic root causes of health issues, designing multi-level interventions, and implementing them through community engagement and participation. Proponents argue social vaccines can be highly effective and low-cost public health strategies.

1. Concept Of Social
Vaccine
[Dr] Amzad Ali
Email: ali.amzad@gmail.com
Skype: ali.amzad
Cell: +8801713 004696

2. What is Social Vaccine?
How does social vaccine differ from
medical/actual vaccine?
Which is more effective, less costly and important
from Public Health perspective?
Is there a relationship between social vaccine and
economic development?
What are best practice cases for control and
prevention of behavioral diseases in Bangladesh?

3. What is SocialWhat is Social
Vaccine?Vaccine?

5. What is a Vaccine?
What Is A Vaccine?What Is A Vaccine?
A vaccine is a substance that
teaches the body’s immune
system to recognize and protect
against a disease caused by an
infectious agent (e.g. virus or
bacterium).

6. Introduction
 Social = Society, Community, People centric
communication
 ‘Living together in communities
 Human positive behaviours
 “I like Him or Her” why?
 Vaccine = Protection, Prevention and means
of Behavior change and diseases prevention

7. THE ‘SOCIAL VACCINE’
Origins
Though the origins of the ‘social vaccine’ concept is
not clear, its use can be traced back to the
counselling and psychological studies stream.
The California Task Force to Promote Self-Esteem
described ‘self esteem’ as a social vaccine or a
dimension of personality that empowered people
and inoculated them against a wide spectrum of
self-defeating and socially undesirable behaviour

8. THE ‘SOCIAL VACCINE’…cont’d
 The concept of ‘social vaccine’ was also used
in other areas like de-addiction and control of
addictive substances like tobacco and drugs.
 Public opinion was seen as a powerful social
vaccine that effectively precludes certain
behaviours in the fight against tobacco and
drugs.

9. THE ‘SOCIAL VACCINE’…cont’d
 In the field of HIV/AIDS, the ‘social
vaccine’ concept came to be used in the
1990s where it referred to a comprehensive
package of preventive education, promotion
of contraceptive use and edification of
communities.
 This approach was used in Thailand to
suppress HIV infection rates and was cited as
a model to be emulated

10. Education and Social Vaccine
 There are two issues here—one is the use of
‘education’ as social vaccine, and
 The second is the use of social vaccine in
educational settings like the use of school-
based risk reduction strategies.
 The spectrum of use of the former varies from
‘sex education’ to ‘life-skills training’ to ‘use of
education as an empowerment and
developmental tool’.

11. Social Vaccine- defination
 “A social vaccine can be defined as, ‘actions
that address social determinants and social
inequities in society, which act as a precursor
to the public health problem being
addressed’.
 While the social vaccine cannot be specific to any
disease or problem, it can be adapted as an
intervention for any public health response.
 The aim of the social vaccine is to promote equity
and social justice that will inoculate the society
through action on social determinants of health”.

12. Recognising Social
Determinants of health
 The People’s Charter for Health that emerged at the
first People’s Health Assembly in Savar, Bangladesh,
in December 2000, noted that ‘inequality, poverty,
exploitation, violence and injustice are at the root of ill
health and the deaths of the poor and marginalized’.
 It also emphasized that ‘health is a social, economic
and political issue and above all a fundamental
human right’.

13. Action suggested a six point
programme which included:
 Health as a human right;
 Tackling the broader determinants of health -
economic, social and political challenges;
environmental challenges, war, violence, conflict and
natural disasters
 A people centred health sector, People’s
participation for a healthy world
 Very significantly, it is the first comprehensive
consensus health document that suggests that action
for health has to move beyond the biomedical
approach
 Focusing on drugs and vaccines to a more
comprehensive social approach

14. Recognizing social approaches
to tackling health challenges
and public health
 What are those?

15. Different types of Social Vaccine
• Biomedical – medical vaccine, EPI, others
• Social and behavioural- education, positive health
practices
• Structural– (stigma reduction, gender equality)
• Legal and policy- Law formation
• Human character – Charismatic figure!

16. DISCOVERY
VACCINE
DESIGN
PRECLINICAL
RESEARCH
CLINICAL
TRIALS
How Social Vaccine Developed?
How Is A Vaccine Developed?How Is A Vaccine Developed?

17. Most
Powerfu
l nation
is giving
POWER
to POOR
nation –
Man who
has
changed
the world

22. No “Magic Bullet”
“It is critical to note that there is no “magic
bullet” for HIV prevention. None of the new
prevention methods currently being tested is
likely to be 100 percent effective, and all will
need to be used in combination with existing
prevention approaches if they are to reduce
the global burden of HIV/AIDS.”

23. Different levels of prevention
Prevention: strategies that prevent development
of diseases or interrupt progression of disease
 Primary prevention: reduce exposure or
susceptibility – promote good health; sex
education; protection
 Secondary prevention: early detection and
treatment, reduce risk (treat Sti’s)
 Tertiary prevention: limits disability as result of
disease - ARV

24. Social and behavioural prevention
interventions
• ABC
• Voluntary Counselling & Testing
(VCT)
• Stepping Stones counselling
intervention
• Positive Health habits
• Do apply positive behaviours

25. What is the ABC Approach?
 A= Abstain
B= Be faithful
C= use Condoms
 Population specific approach,
emphasizing different options for
different populations depending on level
of risk (risk avoidance as well as risk
reduction)

27. Two approaches to disease
prevention
1. Risk avoidance ( Smoking, Not injecting
drugs, or stopping if already started, fake
love in FB).
2. Risk- reduction or “remedies”
interventions (condoms, treating STIs with
drugs, providing clean needles)
Some refer to the latter as “Primary
Prevention” or “Primary Behavior Change”

28. Approaches to Health &
Prevention
What
Social
Vaccine
can do?

29. Vaccination is
the top Public
Health
achievement of
the 20th
Century
MMWR 1999; 48:241

30. The AIDS epidemic has taught us to be innovative and
to invent, test and implement new interventions. We
now have evidence of HIV prevention strategies that
work!

31. However, despite our innovation, inventiveness
and compelling evidence of effective
strategies, the “killer virus” is still chasing
and killing us!

32. We can change our FutureWe can change our Future
Social Vaccine is people, process and
combination of products with price for positive
change

33. References
1. WHO. Tech. Report Series 137. WHO. 1952.
2. WHO.Constitution Of World Health Organization. 1946.
3. WHO. Role of Health sector in Food and Nutrition. Tech.
Report Series 137. Geneva. 1980.
4. IGNOU. Concepts in Nursing. Available online at:
http://www.ignou.ac.in/edusat/BNS/BNS101-Blk2-3-4/Block1en/38-66
5. WHO. Ageing and Health. A health promotion approach for
developing countries. WHO, Regional Office for the Western
Pacific United Nations Avenue.Manila, Philippines;2000.11-15.
6. Ghai OP, Gupta P. Essential Preventive Medicine. Vikas
Publishing House Pvt Ltd. India;1999:23,817-819.
7. Park K. Park’s textbook of preventive and social medicine. 20th
edition, 2013. Banarsidas Bhanot publishers, Jabalpur, India