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Friday, January 31, 2025
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Ministry of Health pilots text message vaccine reminders for childhood immunizations

This Week

On 30 January, the Ministry of Health celebrated the start of a 12-month pilot that will see text message (SMS) reminders sent to parents soon after their child turns 1-year-old.  

The initiative, supported by the World Health Organization (WHO) with assistance from the Australian Government and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, aims to improve uptake of measles, rubella and polio vaccines by giving busy parents timely reminders direct to their mobile phones.

Managed by the Ministry of Health’s National Immunization Programme (NIP) and Center for Health Statistics and Information (CHSI), the SMS reminders will be sent using data from the national Electronic Immunization Register (EIR), a country-wide vaccination database established during the COVID-19 pandemic. This is the first time the EIR data has been used to send targeted text reminders.

“These vaccines are crucial for protecting children, and protecting health,” said Vice Minister of Health Phayvanh Keopaseuth. 

“Through this pilot, and use of technology, we aim to improve coverage and ensure more children are safeguarded from vaccine-preventable diseases, as unfortunately we often see drops in vaccine coverage as children get older. Though this is a trial it represents a promising start – I commend the Ministry of Health teams, and development partners, for their support and efforts.”

Laos children are recommended to have two vaccines soon after they turn 1-year-old; the second dose of the measles and rubella (MR2) vaccine, and the second dose of the inactivated polio vaccine (IPV2). 

“Australia is committed to supporting Laos efforts to improve the health and wellbeing of its people,” said Australian Deputy Head of Mission Benita Sommerville.

“This pilot programme is a great example of how technology can be used to enhance immunization services and protect children from dangerous but preventable diseases – and demonstrates Laos efforts to ensure they can live the healthy lives they deserve.”

Focusing on cities and urban areas nationwide, the pilot will reach an estimated 50 000 parents who have a child turning 1-year-old in the next 12 months – alerting parents who provided a valid phone number when their children previously received a vaccine. Vaccination staff nationwide will also encourage parents who are newly registering their children in the EIR to provide a phone number to be entered into the database.

“WHO is proud to have supported this innovative programme,” said Tim Armstrong, WHO Representative to Laos. 

“Globally, we have seen the power of SMS reminders for improving vaccination coverage in many areas, helping to nudge busy parents who are often overwhelmed with information. If successful, the pilot may be expanded to include other vaccinations and approaches.”

“This pilot demonstrates how simple, timely reminders can bridge gaps in immunization coverage—empowering parents with critical information while ensuring children receive the protection they need to thrive,” said Bilal Durrani, UNICEF’s Country Representative to Laos.

The pilot program is funded by the Australian Government and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. Both organizations have long histories of supporting immunization in Laos. 

Development of the EIR began in 2022 during the COVID-19 pandemic and was deployed nationwide in 2024 by the Ministry of Health, with support from WHO, UNICEF, Gavi, and the Japanese government. Currently, more than 515,000 children have had one or more vaccines registered in the system.

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