Government Launches 3 New Vaccines Including HPV In Children's Basic Immunizations, Minister Of Health Budi: So It Can Be Prevented

Screenshot of Budi Gunadi Sadikin delivering a virtual press statement (ANTARA)

JAKARTA - Minister of Health (Menkes) Budi Gunadi Sadikin said the government's policy to add three new variants of vaccines in the children's basic immunization program is part of the transformation of primary health services.

"We have increased the number of mandatory immunizations for the community from 11 to 14 vaccines," said Budi Gunadi Sadikin when delivering a virtual press statement followed by the Indonesian Ministry of Health's YouTube in Jakarta, Antara, Thursday, May 12.

Budi said the three new vaccines were HPV for the prevention of cervical cancer for mothers, PCV for pneumonia in toddlers and Rotavirus for preventing diarrhea in toddlers. "All vaccines are part of basic immunization," he said.

According to Budi, the HPV vaccine is given because cervical cancer is the second cancer after breast which causes death for Indonesian mothers and women.

"Because there is no vaccine for breast cancer, while cervical cancer has a vaccine, we give it so that if we can we can prevent it," he said.

The HPV and Rotavirus vaccines are targeted at children under five years of age because most child deaths come from infections, pneumonia and diarrheal infections.

"The biggest cause of death due to infection among children is already a vaccine, namely PCV and Rotavirus vaccine," he said.

Budi said the policy was one of the new programs launched in the primary health care system in Indonesia related to the first pillar health transformation.

Budi said Indonesian President Joko Widodo mandated three main tasks to the Indonesian Ministry of Health, namely carrying out COVID-19 vaccinations as quickly and widely as possible, controlling the pandemic and transforming Indonesia's health system that is more resilient and reaches all Indonesians.

The Ministry of Health has launched six pillars of health system transformation, namely the transformation of the primary health care system, the transformation of the secondary or referral health service system, the transformation of the health resilience system, the transformation of the health financing system, the transformation of health human resources and the transformation of health technology and biotechnology systems.

"This year's child immunization program is part of the transformation of the primary health care system and the transformation of the health information technology system," he said.