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Government works to improve childhood vaccinations after decline
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Safety first: Mothers stand in line to get their toddlers vaccinated at a village administration office in Kediri, East Java. The office is
being used for immunizations to prevent crowding at local community health centers (Puskesmas) and stem COVID-19 transmission.
(Antara/Prasetia Fauzani/NZ)
T
he government is seeking to improve childhood vaccination rates this year, which have been greatly impacted by disruption in health services during the COVID-19 pandemic and as parents avoid doctor's visits over fears of contracting the coronavirus.
According to data from the Health Ministry, overall basic immunization coverage in the country dropped by roughly 9.5 percent in the past two years – from 93.7 percent in 2019 to 84.2 percent in 2021.
The decline is especially prevalent for polio, rubella, and measles inoculation as well as DTP-HB-Hib vaccination for diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus, hepatitis B, pneumonia and meningitis.
Between 2019 and 2021, rates for polio immunization dropped from 94.7 percent to 79.8 percent, and DPT-HB-Hib rates decreased from 96.5 percent to 79.7 percent, while those for rubella and measles vaccination for children under 2 years old dropped from 70 to 58.5 percent
The Health Ministry's acting head for immunization management directorate Prima Yosephine said at least 1.7 million children in Indonesia did not complete their basic immunizations in 2019 to 2021.
"The decline in childhood vaccinations during the COVID-19 pandemic has led to several outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases in some provinces," Prima told a press briefing on Monday. "We saw diphtheria outbreaks in West Kalimantan, measles outbreaks in Aceh, and diphtheria, measles and rubella outbreaks in South Sulawesi, among other places."
Diphtheria is a highly contagious infection that affects the nose and throat, and sometimes the skin, with a fatality rate of up to 20 percent for patients aged younger than 5 and older than 40. While measles is an acute viral respiratory illness, which globally is still one of the leading causes of childhood mortality.
