South Sumatra Health Office Soroti Vulnerability of Young Age to Dengue and Efforts to Reduce Cases.

JAKARTA - Efforts to monitor the spread of dengue are now a top priority that requires serious attention from various parties, given the nature of this disease which continues to threaten without knowing the season.

As a concrete step in strengthening the public health detection and protection system, the active dengue vaccination monitoring program is now officially expanded to the South Sumatra region.

This step is a continuation of a similar initiative that had previously been carried out in Jakarta, where this time the South Sumatra Provincial Health Office and the City of Palembang synergized with the Faculty of Medicine of Sriwijaya University to oversee the implementation of the program.

The Governor of South Sumatra, Dr. H. Herman Deru, gave high appreciation for this program as part of the regional health roadmap. He emphasized that dengue is not just a seasonal issue, but a health challenge that we must face in a sustainable and planned manner.

"The South Sumatra Provincial Government has a strong commitment to strengthen dengue prevention efforts, in line with national and global targets towards zero deaths from dengue by 2030," he explained.

To achieve this goal, more proactive, data-based steps are needed, involving cross-sector collaboration. Vector control efforts and public education remain an important foundation, but need to be complemented by health innovations and prevention approaches supported by scientific evidence.

The collaboration between the local government, academic institutions, and health partners in actively monitoring dengue vaccination in Palembang reflects a shared commitment to protecting the younger generation and strengthening the health resilience of the South Sumatra community in the future, as well as achieving 'zero deaths from dengue in Palembang by 2030.

Health data shows that this threat is real and should not be taken lightly by Palembang residents. Head of the South Sumatra Provincial Health Office, dr. H. Trisnawarman, explained the statistics which recorded thousands of cases with a death rate dominated by young age groups.

He reminded the public through his statement, throughout the year, the people of Palembang face the threat of dengue. Based on the data of Dengue Kabkota in South Sumatra in 2025 as of December 31, 4,437 cases were reported with 22 deaths.

With the highest case of dengue in 2025, Palembang with 968 cases and 3 deaths. From the recapitulation of the report, in the last 5 years, the most cases of dengue were found in the age group of 15-44 years (42% of total cases) and in the last 7 years, the most deaths from dengue were found in the age group of 5-14 years (41% of total cases).

Based on these data, school-age children are vulnerable to dengue. As the provincial government, we continue to encourage the strengthening of sustainable dengue prevention efforts in all districts and cities, through the implementation of 3M Plus, educating the public about environmental hygiene, strengthening the role of midwives, and utilizing innovations and technologies such as Ovitrap.

"However, we realize that the increasingly complex challenge of dengue requires a more comprehensive approach. Therefore, the collaboration between the Palembang City Health Office and the Faculty of Medicine of Sriwijaya University in the implementation of dengue vaccination and active monitoring of children aged 6-10 years in Palembang is an important step to strengthen protection, especially for vulnerable age groups," he explained.

The implementation of monitoring in Palembang is focused on thousands of elementary school children in areas with the highest level of vulnerability. Dr. Ariesti Karmila as the Head of the Implementation emphasized the importance of changing the perception of the community which often underestimate this disease.

"Dengue is an endemic disease in Indonesia that is often considered mild, although in certain conditions it can develop into a severe condition and risk causing death. This perception is still quite common in our community, so prevention efforts are very important," he said.

Dengue prevention needs to be carried out consistently through the Elimination of Mosquito Breeding (PSN) especially by consistently implementing 3M Plus. Various approaches that have been running, such as the One House One Jumantik Movement, remain an important part of dengue control efforts.

Innovative methods, including vaccination, are complementary to strengthen these efforts so that prevention can be carried out more comprehensively. With a comprehensive approach, it is hoped that the dengue transmission chain can be suppressed sustainably.

Meanwhile, active monitoring in Palembang targets 7,500 children, in 60 elementary schools in the working area of 10 Puskesmas with the highest incidence report in Palembang, with 5,000 of them receiving vaccination. Palembang City itself was chosen with consideration as a region with the highest incidence of dengue in South Sumatra.

The vaccine used in this active monitoring has been marketed in Indonesia for more than 3 years and has been recommended by medical associations for use in children and adults.

Palembang was chosen as one of the locations for active monitoring not only because of the high number of cases in this city, but also because of its readiness, and based on discussions with experts, the Ministry of Health, and the local Health Office.

Academic support is also a key pillar in the success of this research-based program. Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, University of Sriwijaya, Prof. Dr. dr. Mgs. Irsan Saleh, expressed his pride in leading this initiative as a form of service to the community.

"The Faculty of Medicine of Universitas Sriwijaya consistently supports and carries out every effort to improve the health of the people of Palembang in particular and the people of South Sumatra in general. We are making this effort in line with the Tri Dharma of Higher Education, namely the three main pillars that guide us as academics," he said.

Active monitoring of dengue vaccination will strengthen research-based education, produce scientific evidence that can be used as a basis for health policy making, and a tangible form of university service to the community affected by dengue.

This strategic role is part of our commitment to support data-based dengue prevention efforts at the regional level. Collaboration with the Faculty of Medicine, University of Indonesia in Jakarta, the Faculty of Medicine, University of Lambung Mangkurat Banjarmasin, the South Sumatra Provincial Health Office, the Palembang City Health Office, and Takeda are important elements in ensuring that this initiative is carried out in a coordinated, scientific manner, and provides real benefits for strengthening dengue prevention in the South Sumatra region.

Nationally, this program is positioned as a long-term study whose results will become a reference for future policies. Prof. Dr. dr. Sri Rezeki Hadinegoro as National Responsible explained that Indonesia is involved in multinational monitoring with neighboring countries.

This active monitoring aims to strengthen efforts to protect against dengue through a more comprehensive and monitoring-based approach to long-term health. The vaccination activity and its monitoring, which was inaugurated today, is part of the Multinational Active Dengue Vaccination Monitoring which is also carried out in Thailand and Malaysia.

In Indonesia, this active monitoring program takes place in three cities, namely Jakarta, Palembang, and Banjarmasin, over a three-year period.

"Through structured monitoring, we hope to obtain a more comprehensive picture of the health of children in areas with a high burden of dengue, as well as strengthen dengue prevention efforts in the future in a sustainable manner," explained Prof. Sri Rezeki.

This synergy also involves support from the private sector to ensure the sustainability of health impacts for families in Indonesia. Dr. Arif Abdillah representing PT Takeda Innovative Medicines expressed the company's commitment to supporting a comprehensive disease control strategy.

"As a long-term partner of Indonesia, we are committed to supporting ongoing efforts to protect people from dengue. The dengue challenge cannot be solved through one approach alone, but requires consistent, science-based, and impact-oriented cross-sectoral cooperation in the long term," he concluded.