Still Low! Rubella Measles Immunization In New Aceh Targets 52,316 Children From The Target Of 1.4 Million

Toddlers receive polio immunization vaccine during the realization of the National Child Immunization Month (BIAN) program at the Lambhuk Posyandu (Via ANTARA)

JAKARTA - A total of 52,316 people or 3.6 percent of children in Aceh province have received measles rubella immunization during the national program on the National Child Immunization Month (BIAN), according to the Aceh Health Service.

"The achievement for measles and rubella is still very low because our target is also high, namely 1.4 million children," said Head of Disease Prevention and Control (P2P) of the Aceh Health Office Iman Cheapman in Banda Aceh, Antara, Wednesday, June 15.

Iman explained that the launching of the BIAN program in Aceh began at the end of last May. Not only targeting children to get measles and rubella immunization, but also pursuing polio and DPT-HB-Hib dose coverage for children who have missed.

For drip polio immunization (OPV) only reached 10,214 children or 5 percent of the target of 217,587 children, then injectable polio immunization (IPV) was only 2,376 children or 0.8 percent of the target of 342,614 children.

And the new DPT-HB-Hib immunization was 3,651 children or 1.8 percent of the target of 214,051 children.

For drip polio, injectable polio and DPT-HB-Hib, there are not too many targets, hopefully they can be achieved, said Iman.

According to Iman, the low immunization coverage of the BIAN program cannot be separated from the lack of public knowledge about the importance of complete basic immunization, both measles, rubella, polio to DPT-HB-Hib.

Moreover, said Iman, currently the children are also in the school semester holiday period, so that it becomes an obstacle to intensify immunization in the BIAN program, when the children are not in school.

Whereas immunization is also important to prevent various diseases, such as measles, rubella, pertussis, diphtheria, which is now a lot of cases, while immunization coverage in Aceh is very low.

"As we know that currently measles, rubella is everywhere, pertussis has also appeared again, so it is important to prevent it through immunization," said Iman.

The BIAN program in Aceh is targeted for completion by the end of June 2022. However, with this achievement, the Aceh Provincial Government still has to continue until July, before continuing with the second phase for the Java Island and Bali Provinces.

So, he said, in July his party must carry out sweeping actions or go down to homes to inject the measles, rubella, and polio immunization as well as drops and DPT-HB-Hib.

"Hopefully in July 2022 we will start sweeping activities, and we will see the achievements in August 2022 can reach above 50 percent," he said.