PESHAWAR: The United Nations International Children`s Emergency Fund has complained about `negative` media reports on polio and said such reporting was harming the people`s confidence in vaccination.

From January to October 2013, four per cent of the stories appearing on polio in Pakistani media every month were negative onaverage, say the terms of reference developed by the Unicef to select an event management firm for the next Immunisation and Child Health Media Awards.

However, the 19-page document doesn`t elaborate on `negative` reports harming polio eradication programme.

According to the Unicef, which supports the country`s anti-polio mobilisation component, 89.9 per cent people know about the vaccine-preventable childhood disease in the country.

Of them, 58.9 per cent are those whose source of information regarding polio is media.

Citing the knowledge attitude practice survey conducted last year, it said the media published or aired over 700 reports on polioevery month in the country.

Unicef spokesman Azmat Abbas opted not to comment on the matter despite having a telephonic conversation with Dawn.

The provincial health officials said they didn`t know about the Unicef-sponsored media awards.

According to sources, the awards were originally to be given on October 24 last year on occasion of the World Polio Day.

TORs for the same were developed but the event didn`t take place in view of a workshop held in Peshawar in September that created controversy due to nonparticipation of local reporters.

The organisers hadn`t invited health beat local journalists to the event, which was aimed at inform-ing them about polio and its vaccination and related issues and their solution.

The award titled `Is Pakistan`s Polio Eradication is Within Reach?` were to be given in five categories.

According to the Unicef document, the objective of media awards is to promote positive journalism to audiences throughout the country in order to further build the credibility and trust in the oral polio vaccines.

The media TORs say in order to build a trust with key media stakeholders, the media awards is an essential element in creating linkages for sustained flow of information and building capacity of the media on reporting polio accurately.