Central Sulawesi Health Office: Immunization Protects Children From Disability Trigger Diseases

Central Sulawesi Governor Rusdy Mastura (left) inspects the implementation of immunization in Palu City, Friday, May 20. (ANTARA/HO-Central Sulawesi Provincial Government)

SULTENG - Head of the Health Office (Dinkes) of Central Sulawesi Province (Sulteng) dr. I Komang Adi Sujendra said that immunization increases children's immunity from exposure to diseases such as polio, measles, and hepatitis.

"With immunization, children are protected from diseases, especially diseases that can cause disability. Eating nutritious food alone is not enough. You must be immunized," he said in Palu, quoted from Antara, Wednesday, May 25.

He explained that vaccines given to children during immunization will form antibodies in their bodies that function to prevent and ward off various viruses from entering, living and developing in their bodies.

"If the situation is normal, such as before the COVID-19 pandemic, from birth it must be immunized. After that, follow immunizations based on the child's age on a scheduled basis. This immunization should not be underestimated," he said.

Therefore, I Komang invites parents in all regions in Central Sulawesi to take advantage of the 2022 National Child Immunization Month (BIAN) in May to include their children in immunization activities.

Children who are targeted for immunization, starting from 0 months to under 12 years old, can go to the nearest health facility to participate in immunizations.

"If not immunized, children have a great potential for viral diseases that are currently on the rise, such as hepatitis and measles-rubella," he added.

The government through the Ministry of Health carries out three strategies in the program (BIAN).

One of these strategies is catch-up immunization which includes polio vaccine, oral polio vaccine (OPV) or drip vaccine and inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) or injectable vaccine, with the aim of completing the immunization status of children under five who have not been or are late to be immunized according to schedule.

In addition, the strategy in BIAN also includes additional immunization against measles, rubella, which aims to provide additional doses regardless of immunization status, as well as the implementation of expansion and introduction of new vaccines aimed at increasing immunity against certain diseases.