UNAIR NEWS – In Indonesia, the immunization program has been carried out since 1956. The Health Ministry has run the Immunization Development Program (PPI) for children to reduce the cases of vaccine-preventable diseases (PD3I) such as tuberculosis, diphtheria, pertussis, poliomyelitis, tetanus, and hepatitis B. The information on immunization coverage was collected from a survey of mothers with 0-59 month-old toddlers in the Riskesdas 2018.
National Child Immunization Month, starting in August, is expected to be well-utilized by the community, especially those with toddlers.
Dr Arief Hargono, a UNAIR epidemiologist, stated that a child has the right to live healthily, one of them is through the immunization program to strengthen the child’s immune system.
“As it is known, a child has the right to health. One of the attempts is to boost their immune system against infectious diseases. Immunization is one of the most effective strategies to achieve the goal,” said Dr. Arief on Saturday, July 23, 2022.
Furthermore, Dr. Arief said the current problem was due to the pandemic. From 2019 until now, immunization coverage has not met the target. It is feared to impact the child’s immunity with the potential of new unusual cases arising.
“Once the Covid-19 ends, it is feared that new outbreaks will appear due to other infectious diseases such as measles and diphtheria. Therefore, to fulfill the immunization coverage, we have to conduct the National Child Immunization Month,” he said.
For information, the Health Ministry reported that immunization coverage dropped by 35 percent compared to the same period last year. Children are at greater risk of vaccine-preventable diseases such as diphtheria, measles, and poliomyelitis due to Covid-19. The preliminary estimation of the Covid-19 impact on the death of mothers and children in Indonesia shows the disruption to health systems and reduced access to food consumption could result in an additional 30,560 child deaths within six months.
Author: Muhammad Suryadiningrat
Editor: Nuri Hermawan
