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Why we should embrace new routine vaccines
In 2022, the Health Ministry will add the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV), the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine and the rotavirus vaccine to its immunization program.
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Some 100,000 cases of cancer could be prevented in Britain in the next 40 years by a vaccine against the human papillomavirus (HPV) that causes cancers of the cervix, mouth, anus and genitals, UK health officials said. (Shutterstock/pittawut)
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government plan to include three new vaccines in the country’s routine immunization program builds confidence in the nation’s ability to stop outbreaks of vaccine-preventable infectious diseases in the future.
The plan is to roll out an expanded set of immunizations consisting of 14 different vaccines, up from the current program’s 11.
In 2022, the Health Ministry will add the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV), the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine and the rotavirus vaccine to its immunization program. These new vaccines are part of health reform efforts to curb child and maternal deaths.
“One of our National Medium-Term Development Plan targets is to reduce the mortality rate of mothers and children, and we know many children and newborns die of diarrhea and pneumonia,” said Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said during a virtual webinar on May 8 in commemoration of World Immunization Week.
PCVs can prevent infections caused by pneumococcal bacteria, which are responsible for deadly diseases such as meningitis and pneumonia. Meanwhile, the rotavirus can easily infect babies and children, causing health problems such as severe diarrhea, vomiting, fever and stomach pain with dehydration risks requiring in-patient treatment. The HPV vaccine helps protect people from high-risk HPV infections that can lead to certain types of cancer, including cervical cancer.
According to Budi, it is important for teens and young adults to get the HPV vaccine as soon as possible. Cancer is the illness with the highest mortality rate in Indonesia, and cervical cancer is one of the two leading causes of death in women, alongside breast cancer.
By including these three vaccinations, the government is hoping to create much healthier Indonesian children, reduce child mortality and decrease cancer-related deaths to reap the benefits of a demographic dividend in the future.
