News → News Stories → Global Crowdsourcing Initiative (with a cash prize!) to support polio eradication efforts in Pakistan

27/09/2019

GPEI partners

Global Crowdsourcing Initiative (with a cash prize!) to support polio eradication efforts in Pakistan

The Polio Eradication Initiative is looking for innovative ways to detect, control and respond to anti-vaccination propaganda on social media.

Community-based vaccinator administers polio drops to a child in Lahore, Punjab ©NEOC/Pakistan

Pakistan and the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) are facing a new challenge, driven by technological advancement and an increasing number of people using social media to seek and share news. Rumors and misinformation about polio vaccination and the program spread like wildfire on social media, including in Pakistan where the number of people with access to internet and smartphones have significantly increased over the past years, and continues to increase.

The polio eradication team in Pakistan, have partnered with Rotary, Spencer Trask & Co. and WHO and are looking for innovative ideas to help quickly detect, control and/or respond to the spread of anti-vaccination propaganda on social media in an urban population. These organizations have engaged crowdsourcing pioneer InnoCentive to oversee this challenge and award $10,000 to each of the top three solutions (some restrictions apply).

More information on how to join in this collective effort.