Sampang Health Office Finds 413 Children Positive for Measles

Documents of child health check-ups by medical personnel and integrated health post (Posyandu) cadres in Sampang Regency. ANTARA/HO-Sampang Regency Government

SAMPANG - The Sampang Regency Health and Family Planning Office (Dinkes KB), East Java, has found 413 children positive for measles.

"The number of children infected with measles is based on reports submitted by each community health center (Puskesmas) in 14 sub-districts across Sampang Regency during a coordination meeting," said Samsul Hidayat, Head of the Disease Prevention and Control Division (P2P) of the Sampang Dinkes-KB, as reported by ANTARA on Tuesday, August 26.

He explained that the 413 children who tested positive for measles were spread across 14 sub-districts across Sampang Regency.

He continued, adding that staff at each Puskesmas provided treatment, and some of them have recovered.

"The patients are generally children between 1 and 4 years old," said Samsul.

Samsul explained that the children contracted measles due to several factors, including changes in the weather and not having been vaccinated.

"Because, based on reports from medical staff at community health centers in those villages, many parents refused to have their children immunized," he said.

The reason was that after the immunization, the children developed fevers.

"In fact, that was due to the effects of the immunization. The benefit afterward is that children are immune to various diseases and don't get sick easily," he said.

Meanwhile, to suppress the spread of these cases, the Sampang Health and Family Planning Office has begun conducting mass immunizations at 14 community health centers and several sub-health centers in the area.

In addition to health facilities, immunizations to prevent the spread of measles also involve visiting schools and residents' homes with community health post (Posyandu) cadres in the area.