The new mother said she had grown increasingly worried about her baby’s health, not only because of the new virus, but also the risk other childhood diseases pose if her son did not complete his immunization schedule.

The epidemic has forced many Posyandu (integrated health services posts) in Tuban to temporarily suspend their services, just like in many other regions in the country. Posyandu are a vital part of the public health system in that they offer free primary immunizations for infants and children.

"From the beginning, I didn't get any confirmation as to when [the Posyandu] would reopen,” Dian told The Jakarta Post. “So in June, I went to see a pediatrician and get my son vaccinated. I had to pay Rp 450,000 [US$30.60], which was quite a big sum for me; but I'd do anything for my son's health,” she said.

The cost is about a quarter of Dian’s husband's monthly income of Rp 1.9 million.

Her son got his Bacillus Calmette-Guèrin (BCG) vaccine for tuberculosis (TB) and his polio vaccine at 4 months old, much later than the ideal inoculation age of 2 months. Now that the local Posyandu had reopened, Dian said that her son had been scheduled to receive his diphtheria, pertussis and tetanus shots soon.

The government and experts alike share Dian’s concern that Indonesian children, who account for 30 percent of the population, could be at risk of other outbreaks from vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs) as the epidemic disrupts routine immunization across the country.

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