The East Kalimantan DHF Vaccination Program Can Be Appreciated By Four Asian Countries

Head of the East Kalimantan Health Office Jaya Mualimin (left) reviewed the implementation of the DHF vaccination (ANTARA)

JAKARTA - The Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever (DHF) vaccination program that has been implemented by the Provincial Government of East Kalimantan (Kaltim) has received appreciation from four countries in Asia, namely Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and Japan.

Head of the East Kalimantan Health Service (Dinkes) Jaya Mualimin in Samarinda, Saturday, revealed that the success of this program has attracted foreign attention.

"Our dengue vaccination has been appreciated by the international community. The proof is that we were invited to Singapore last February to convey how this program works," he said.

Furthermore, Jaya mentioned that after Singapore, his party is also scheduled to become a resource person in Penang (Malaysia) in October.

"Next, Thailand and Japan are also interested in inviting us. This is because East Kalimantan is a good example in the implementation of dengue vaccination," he said.

Jaya explained that the invitation from the four countries was an opportunity to share experiences about initial ideas to the successful implementation of dengue vaccination in East Kalimantan.

Currently, the DHF vaccination program in East Kalimantan has been running in Samarinda and Balikpapan, and will be expanded to Kutai Kartanegara Regency this year.

"With this vaccination, we can reduce the hospitalization rate due to dengue fever. For almost two years of running, those who have been vaccinated have never been infected with dengue fever again, signaling that this program is running effectively," he said.

The East Kalimantan Health Office itself targets school-age children in the dengue vaccination program. Jaya explained that the age group selection was based on data on dengue cases which showed the high potential for transmission when children were in the school environment.

"Aedes aegypti, the carrier of the dengue virus, actively bites in the morning until the afternoon," he said.

Jaya also highlighted the different strategies for handling dengue fever in East Kalimantan with other countries. He gave an example of Singapore still relying on the 3M Plus method and Wolbachia technology.

"In Singapore, Wolbachia has been implemented for 15 years, but is considered less effective than vaccinations," said Jaya.