Jakarta (ANTARA) - The 2022 National Child Immunization Month (BIAN) is being implemented to boost basic immunization coverage among children, which has been hindered due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Health Ministry has said.
"After (the number of) COVID-19 (cases) starts to decline, we will start pursuing vaccines for children, which include basic and mandatory vaccines for children," spokesperson for the ministry, Mohammad Syahril, said at a virtual event entitled ‘Health Broadcast,’ which was accessed from here on Monday.
The pandemic has greatly reduced the coverage of basic immunization among children across Indonesia by delaying the government's immunization efforts due to physical distancing protocols, he noted.
According to the ministry’s data, more than 1.7 million babies in Indonesia did not receive basic immunization during the 2019-–2021 period Hence, the implementation of the 2022 BIAN is expected to increase the basic immunization coverage among children.
The BIAN is being conducted in two phases this year. The first phase was implemented in May and covered regions outside Java and Bali Islands. Meanwhile, the second phase is being carried out in August for Java and Bali regions.
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The spokesperson informed that the government is pursuing several immunizations, such as immunizations against measles and rubella for kids aged 9 to 59 months as well as oral polio vaccine (OPV), injected polio vaccine (IPV), and DPT-HB-Hib (diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, hepatitis B, pneumonia, and meningitis) immunizations for toddlers aged 12 to 59 months.
However, Bali and Yogyakarta provinces have not carried out additional immunizations since the coverage in the regions has exceeded the target, he noted. The immunization coverage in regions outside Java and Bali has reached around 70 percent.
The 2022 BIAN has also served as a momentum to maximize the development of a healthy generation in Indonesia, he added "It is our effort to protect our nation's children from diseases, which can actually be prevented by giving immunization," he said.