February 3, 2025
VIENTIANE – The Ministry of Health last week kicked off a 12-month pilot scheme that will see text message (SMS) reminders sent to parents soon after their child turns one year old.
The initiative, supported by the World Health Organisation (WHO) with assistance from the Australian Government and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, aims to improve uptake of measles, rubella and polio vaccines by giving parents timely reminders direct to their mobile phones.
Managed by the Ministry of Health’s National Immunisation Programme and the Centre for Health Statistics and Information, the SMS reminders will be sent using data from the national Electronic Immunisation Register (EIR), a country-wide vaccination database established during the Covid pandemic.
This will be 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 Deputy Minister of Health Dr 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.”
“This trial has a promising start and I commend the Ministry of Health teams and development partners for their support and efforts.”
Children are recommended to have two vaccinations soon after they reach 12 months of age: the second dose of the measles and rubella (MR2) vaccine, and the second dose of the inactivated polio vaccine (IPV2).
Australian Deputy Head of Mission, Benita Sommerville, said “Australia is committed to supporting Laos’ efforts to improve the health and wellbeing of its people.”
“This pilot programme is a great example of how technology can be used to enhance immunisation services and protect children from dangerous but preventable diseases and demonstrates Laos’ efforts to ensure they can live the healthy lives they deserve,” the Australian Embassy stated.
Focusing on cities and urban areas nationwide, the pilot will reach an estimated 50,000 parents who have a child turning one 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 WHO Representative to Laos, Dr Tim Armstrong.
“Globally, we have seen the power of SMS reminders for improving vaccination coverage in many areas. If successful, the pilot may be expanded to include other vaccinations and approaches.”
UNICEF’s Country Representative to Laos, Mr Bilal Durrani, said “This pilot demonstrates how simple, timely reminders can bridge gaps in immunisation coverage, empowering parents with critical information while ensuring that children receive the protection they need to thrive.”
Development of the EIR began in 2022 during the Covid pandemic and was deployed nationwide in 2024 by the Ministry of Health, with support from WHO, UNICEF, Gavi, and the Government of Japan.
To date, more than 515,000 children have had one more or vaccines registered in the system.