Liberia’s Ministry of Health enlisted social media influencers, including pageant queen Goretti L. Itoka and contestants from the “Most Beautiful Girl in Liberia” pageant, to combat rising online vaccine disinformation as part of a November 2025 campaign that vaccinated 665,958 girls aged 9 to 18 against HPV, according to a report by Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance.

The nationwide campaign, launched with partners including Jhpiego Liberia, targeted both the HPV vaccine and the malaria vaccine after post-introduction assessments following Phase 1 of the malaria vaccine rollout, which began in 2024 across six southeastern counties, found that public understanding of the vaccine remained low. Officials turned to influencers ahead of Phase 2 to strengthen community engagement.

“We have people for whom the best way to work with them is through social media; that’s why we will be using social media influencers,” said Amadu Bah of the Ministry’s Communications and Health Promotion team at the campaign’s launch.

The Ministry contracted Itoka, a model and former Miss Mano River Union who hosts the Most Beautiful Girl in Liberia pageant, along with other influencers and comedians, including the Mama Liberia comedy group. Influencers were split into two groups, one focused on HPV and one on malaria, and the Ministry developed the messaging shared with them.

“Social media influencers were engaged because of their ability to reach large audiences, particularly young people, parents and caregivers, with timely and credible information,” said Matirankie M. Kanneh of Jhpiego Liberia. Kanneh added that the Ministry, with partners including Jhpiego, trained influencers and media practitioners “to ensure consistent, accurate messaging, and strengthen rumour monitoring and community mobilisation efforts nationwide.”

Itoka did not work alone. Current “Most Beautiful Girl in Liberia” contestants joined her at marketplaces and other public gatherings to talk to people about the HPV vaccine and cervical cancer, and the group posted videos on Instagram and TikTok that generated millions of views and likes. Cervical cancer sickens more than 700 women in Liberia each year, with close to 500 deaths, a fatality rate of 66%, according to the report.

Ateanah Togbah, a criminal justice student at the African Methodist Episcopal University who won the 2025 “Most Beautiful Girl in Liberia” pageant, called her participation in the campaign one of the most meaningful parts of her time in the competition. “Being part of a campaign that promotes awareness, prevention, and the health of young girls and women was both an honour and a responsibility I embraced wholeheartedly,” she said.

Itoka said the campaign faced pushback, including a false rumor that the HPV vaccine causes infertility. “But we told them it was a lie and educated them on how it can harm girls if they do not take the vaccine,” she said.

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