A health worker prepares to administer a polio vaccine to a baby during a national child immunization program event at a community health post (Posyandu) in Cibinong, Bogor, West Java, on April 5, 2023. Photo Credit: Antara/The Jakarta Post
Health IndonesiaLife-Saving Children’s Vaccine Is Now Implemented Here
In an effort to curb infant mortalities, Indonesia is expanding its childhood immunization campaign to include the rotavirus vaccine.
“We decided to include the rotavirus vaccine [as part of the national basic childhood immunization] due to the high mortality rate from diarrhea in toddlers,” says Indonesia’s Health Ministry spokesperson Muhammad Syahril.
Diarrhea is among the leading causes of baby death, accounting for 9.8 percent of all infant fatalities in Indonesia. So far, around 200,000 babies have been vaccinated – and it is only just the start. In recent years, the Indonesian government has been working towards a more preventive approach to health challenges within the country. Various programs, including catch-up vaccinations, door-to-door campaigns, the reassessment of necessary inoculations, and the provision of vaccinations in schools, are all expected to improve the rates of basic childhood immunizations.
