How A Simple Charm Bracelet Harnesses Deep Rooted Cultural Beliefs To Save Lives In Afghanistan

CANNES, France, June 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The Afghanistan Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) in partnership with McCann Health India and McCann Worldgroup India announced that they were awarded the prestigious Grand Prix for Good at the 2017 Cannes Lions Health Festival for Creativity for "The Immunity Charm™" campaign.

In addition, "The Immunity Charm™" is further distinguished for having won the most awards ever for a single campaign at Lions Health – 4 Gold, 4 Silver and one Bronze. This simple bracelet, which is similar to those found universally among infants in Afghanistan to protect against evil spirits, consists of colored beads that represent the vaccines each child has received. 

"The beauty and simplicity of The Immunity Charm is how it harnesses powerful existing belief systems to improve the perceived value of vaccines among mothers in rural communities," said Dr. Harshit Jain, Marketing Director (APAC) & Country Head (INDIA), McCann Health and Dr. Daniel Carucci, Senior Medical Advisor, McCann Health, co-creators of The Immunity Charm™. 

"The government of Afghanistan, through the Ministry of Public Health, is working on creative solutions to improve the health of all Afghans," said Hamdullah Mohib, Afghan Ambassador to the United States.  "This important award represents how powerful creative solutions to public health problems can be developed in partnership with the private sector.  We look forward to working with McCann Health to expand The Immunity Charm™ throughout Afghanistan based on its successes in further testing."

John Cahill and Jeremy Perrott, Global CEO and Chief Creative Officer for McCann Health respectively said: "The power of this idea lies in its ability to intertwine culture and tradition into modern day health needs. Ensuring vaccination plays a meaningful role in people's lives."

Prasoon Joshi, Chairman McCann Worldgroup Asia Pacific CEO & CCO McCann Worldgroup India, said, "Winning the Grand Prix for Good, the top honor in a festival like Cannes, is really special. In the past, I have been fortunate to give this honor to others as Jury Chairman but receiving it is unmatchable. When an idea is seeded into culture and plays a meaningful role in people's life, the impact and salience is far reaching."

Healthcare workers provide The Immunity Charm™ to mothers to place on their newborn's wrist as a symbol of protection against disease.  Each time the child is brought for an immunization, a color-coded bead corresponding to the specific vaccine received is added to the bracelet symbolizing the protective effects of the vaccine.  As the child receives additional vaccines against such diseases as measles, polio, diphtheria, and others, color-coded beads are added to the bracelet. 

Afghanistan has some of the lowest vaccination rates in the world, which contribute to high levels of infant and childhood mortality especially in poor and rural communities.  Diseases that are rare in the developed world are far too frequent causes of child mortality in Afghanistan. 

Plans are being developed to test The Immunity Charm™ for effectiveness through a series of studies in Afghanistan and other countries. 

About the Ministry of Public Health Afghanistan
The Mission of the Ministry of Public Health of the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan is to prevent ill health and achieve significant reductions in mortality in line with national targets and sustainable development goals and to reduce impoverishment due to catastrophic health expenditure. Also to be responsive to the rights of all citizens through improving access and utilization of quality, equitable, affordable health and nutrition services among all communities especially mothers and children in rural areas, and through changing attitudes and practices, promoting healthy life-styles and effectively implementing other public health interventions. All in coordination and collaboration with other stakeholders within the framework of strong leadership, sustained political will and commitment, good governance, and effective and efficient management; in its continuous pursuit to become a ministerial 'institution of excellence'.

About McCann Worldgroup
McCann Worldgroup, part of the Interpublic Group (NYSE: IPG), is a leading global marketing services company with 24,000 employees in more than 100 countries, comprising McCann (advertising), MRM//McCann (digital marketing/relationship management), Momentum Worldwide (total brand experience), McCann Health (professional/dtc communications), CRAFT (global adaptation and production), UM (media management), Weber Shandwick (public relations), FutureBrand (consulting/design), ChaseDesign (shopper marketing) and PMK-BNC.

About McCann Health
McCann Health, winner of the Cannes Lions Healthcare Network of the Year Award for two years in a row and the Global Awards Healthcare Network of the Year for five consecutive years, is one of the world's most awarded global healthcare marketing networks specializing in a wide array of professional and consumer health and wellness practices. McCann Health (www.mccannhealth.com) consists of three strong marketing communications global networks: McCann Torre Lazur, McCann Healthcare (professional) and McCann HumanCare (consumer health & wellness). Specialty units include McCann Echo, McCann Global Health, McCann Pharmacy Initiative, Consulting at McCann Health, McCann Managed Markets and McCann Complete Medical. McCann Health is part of McCann Worldgroup and the Interpublic Group (NYSE: IPG). The Immunity Charm™ is being developed in partnership with Global Health Consulting, Inc. www.globalhealthconsulting.com.

SOURCE McCann Health

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