A media handbook for HIV vaccine trials for Africa

While focused in HIV vaccine trials, the advice on how to relate the media may be of interest to researchers in other subjects

There are two major rules with regard to communicating about vaccine trials effectively and maintaining appropriate media support, partnership and sustainable goodwill. Firstly, know as much about the trial process as possible. You should know what it is made from. Is it made from a live-attenuated virus? What part of the virus goes into making the vaccine? How does it work? How safe is it? How many volunteers are involved in the vaccine trial? Secondly, make sure every person in your team, especially support workers such as laboratory attendants , information officers, and community liason workers, has adequate knowledge of the vaccine and the trial protocols. Journalists often target these people for information which they sometimes inadvertently volunteer. Wrong or misleading information could be catastrophic; it will also have the stamp of authority having come from sources close to the vaccine team. Media briefings should be handled by one designated person.

Recommendations:

• understand the dynamic nature of the key elements involved: human beings who have feelings; who are scared of the unknown; who are capable of deceiving and telling lies to vaccine workers. Therefore strategies and programmes need to be reviewed, tested and changed as necessary. Some situations will require a combination of steps/programmes to be effective. It is important that workers do not escalate a crisis situation by misreading the level of required intervention
• It may take the assistance of professional communication experts, working in partnership with vaccine trial workers to identify and clarify situations correctly and construct the right intervention programs
• often some crisis situation will warrant a review or total change of intervention approach. The team should be flexible enough to accomodate such a review or change without endangering a trial

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