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s the Health Ministry has decided to hold a simultaneous diphtheria vaccination program in Jakarta, West Java and Banten following an outbreak, West Java Governor Ahmad Heryawan has called for residents to welcome the program.

“For the sake of everyone, don’t oppose the vaccination,” he said in the province’s capital city of Bandung on Thursday.

West Java is among 20 provinces suffering from the outbreak since January, according to data from the Health Ministry. There have been 123 cases of diphtheria detected in 20 regencies and municipalities since January in the province.

There have been concerns about antivaccine sentiments nationwide, ranging from religious to health issues, that have hampered the success of government’s vaccine programs for infants and toddlers.

Heryawan told all residents that the vaccinations aimed to protect the younger generations.

The province aimed to support the central government’s program by convincing people not to have doubts about the vaccines and the process of administering them.

He also asserted that the government had joined hands with the Indonesia Ulema Council (MUI) to issue a halal edict for the vaccines to convince the public.

The plan is part of the ministry’s Outbreak Response Immunization (ORI) program as 20 provinces have declared a health emergency (KLB) of diphtheria. At least 95 regencies and municipalities across the provinces have detected diphtheria infections in recent months.