As rumours and misinformation around vaccination and vaccine trials have become increasingly challenging, listening to communities and online conversations to detect and mitigate rumours with a risk of disrupting vaccine trials is key. This is particularly important in the context of COVID-19, when heightened anxieties and uncertainties are facilitating the spread and amplification of rumours. This webinar will provide an overview of the Vaccine Confidence Project framework for detecting and mitigating rumours around vaccine trials, with guidance on using community management of rumours (using the example of the Ebola vaccine trials) and social media monitoring to listen to public sentiments, beliefs and concerns around vaccination.

Key speakers and line-up:

2.00-2.05: Introduction and welcome, Heidi Larson, Professor of Anthropology, Risk and Decision Science and Director of the Vaccine Confidence Project, LSHTM

2.05-2.15: Social listening around vaccine trials, Emilie Karafillakis, Lead for European research at the Vaccine Confidence Project, LSHTM

2.15-2.35: Insights from the field: challenges and solutions

Conducting trials in times of emergencies: reports from the Nuffield working group, Beatriz da Costa Thome, Preventive Medicine Department of the Federal University of São Paulo
The challenges of maternal vaccination trials, Nellie Myburgh, Head anthropologist, University of Witwatersrand
Public perceptions of human challenge studies, Primus Chi, social scientist at KEMRI-Wellcome Trust, Kenya

2.35-2.50: Q&A

2.50-3.10: Proactive communication and engagement to mitigate the spread of rumours and build resilience and confidence in vaccine trials, Robert Kanwagi, Programme coordinator for EBODAC, World Vision Ireland and Mateus Kambale Sahani, Vaccine Confidence Project, LSHTM

3.10-3.25: Q&A

3.25-3.30: Close

Vaccine confidence in the context of trials