Merdeka.com – The Ministry of Health reports that complete basic immunization coverage in Indonesia has decreased since 2020. Specifically for 2021, the coverage has only reached 58.4 percent as of October.
“Our target for October is 71.1 percent and it is hoped that by the end of the year our target according to the Strategic Plan (Renstra) must be 95 percent,” said Acting Director General of Disease Prevention and Control at the Ministry of Health, Maxi Rein Rondonuwu, Tuesday (30/11).
Maxi explained that there is a gap in complete basic immunization coverage in a number of provinces. Several provinces recorded that immunization almost reached the national target, or even exceeded it.
The provinces are Banten reaching 78.8 percent in October 2021. Then South Sulawesi, Bengkulu, South Sumatra, Gorontalo, Bali, Lampung, Bangka Belitung, East Java, and Jambi are almost close to the national immunization target.
“We hope that the gap should be covered by pursuing immunization activities. There is only a month left, I think there is still time,” he said.
Maxi reminded that complete basic immunization is very important to prevent the population from being vulnerable to a number of diseases that can trigger an Extraordinary Event (KLB). These diseases include TB or tuberculosis, Polio, Diphtheria, Tetanus, Hepatitis, Measles, and Rubella.
“It is certain that if the last two years have been low and uneven, it has the potential to cause outbreaks of vulnerability to the diseases I mentioned earlier, which could have been prevented by immunization,” he said.
He added that currently, there are already a number of outbreaks of Diphtheria, Measles and Rubella in a number of areas. In West Kalimantan, for example, there was an outbreak of Diphtheria.
“The experience of 2020, 2021 is certainly a good experience for us to pursue other routine and essential immunization activities, overcoming other diseases,” he concluded. [ray]
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