Bukittinggi (ANTARA) – The Bukittinggi City Government held a World Immunization Week (PID) and National Child Immunization Month (BIAN) which was opened by the Governor of West Sumatra accompanied by the Deputy Mayor of Bukittinggi, at the Mayor’s official residence, Wednesday.
Representative of the Indonesian Pediatrician Association (IDAI), dr. Metrizal as Chair of the Bukittinggi City KIPI Working Group explained that PID aims to promote the use of vaccines in order to protect a person from various diseases.
PID is held on the last week of April every year, from April 16-22, 2022 with the national theme, Healthy Families Through the Pandemic With Complete Immunizations.
According to Metrizal, immunization is one of the efforts made in order to reduce and prevent children from certain diseases, some immunizations are given in the form of injections, some are in the form of drugs.
“The city of Bukittinggi saw a decrease in the achievement of basic immunization coverage in 2021 by 53.1 percent from the target that must be achieved by 95 percent, while the Universal Coverage Immunization (UCI) sub-district is a village that reaches the immunization coverage target of more than 80 percent,” he said.
He said that out of 24 urban villages, only 6 UCI villages or 25 percent of villages in Bukittinggi City were UCI in 2021.
Deputy Mayor of Bukittinggi, Marfendi, said that PID was the right and strategic momentum in increasing public awareness to take collective action from all elements of society and the private sector.
“Also to increase immunization coverage as protection for all age groups in order to achieve the eradication and elimination of diseases that can be prevented by immunization (PD3I) such as diphtheria, measles, polio, pertussis and others,” he said.
He said the decline in immunization coverage resulted in the emergence of enclaves that could potentially become sources of PD3I cases or diseases that can be prevented by immunization.
“Currently, in Bukittinggi City in the last three weeks there has been an increase in measles cases in almost all urban villages in Bukittinggi City, if this is not quickly anticipated it will cause an outbreak (Extraordinary Event),” said Marfendi.
Therefore, continued the Deputy Mayor, it is necessary to carry out a strategy through strengthening basic immunization and providing additional immunizations from May to June 2022, through the National Immunization Month (BIAN), namely giving Measles Rubella immunization at the age of 9 months to 15 years and carrying out catch immunizations. -Up) for children under five who have not completed their basic immunizations.
The Governor of West Sumatra, Mahyeldi said that the pandemic that had occurred since 2020 had an impact on a significant decrease in immunization coverage.
“At the global level, immunization coverage decreased from 86 percent in 2019 to 83 percent in 2020, the number of children who did not receive basic immunization of 23 million children in Indonesia also experienced a decline in basic immunization coverage, from 93.7 percent in 2019 it decreased to 77. 3 percent in 2021,” he explained.
With the reduction in immunization, it is feared that the impact will affect children’s resistance to disease, for this reason, World Immunization Week has been launched internationally.
“Hopefully with this PID, outbreaks of disease can be minimized, this activity will be carried out in all regencies and cities in West Sumatra, we certainly hope that all parties will make this celebration a success,” he concluded.
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