[COMMENTARY] Tested pneumonia vaccine can save Indonesia’s healthcare system

Elly Burhaini Faizal
The Jakarta Post

PREMIUM

Jakarta / Mon, November 23, 2020 / 11:02 pm

[COMMENTARY] Tested pneumonia vaccine can save Indonesia’s healthcare system

Illustration of a vaccine (Shutterstock/PhotobyTawat)

The coronavirus pandemic has revealed how fragile the global health system is. Worse, the pandemic may threaten years of global progress against pneumonia and diarrhea – two of the most common causes of childhood deaths. Vaccination, therefore, is something Indonesia can pursue to prevent child deaths and prepare for any outbreaks in the future. Countries worldwide are now competing to be the first to secure a coronavirus vaccine, and this means that health interventions, such as immunization, must be a priority. Indonesia is among 15 countries with the highest number of under-5 pneumonia and diarrhea deaths, according to the Pneumonia and Diarrhea Progress Report 2020, which was recently released by the International Vaccine Access Center (IVAC) at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The report tracks countries’ progress in preventing pneumonia and dia...