Jakarta (ANTARA) – Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said the government will organize a mass polio vaccination in Pidie area, Aceh next week following the emergence of polio cases which have been designated as extraordinary events (KLB).
“That’s why, we will specially come to Pidie next week to do mass polio vaccinations,” Budi said in Jakarta on Friday.
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Budi called on the public to increase polio vaccination coverage to prevent the recurrence of a disease that has not occurred in Indonesia for some time.
He said polio has reappeared because there were a number of urban districts in Indonesia where vaccination coverage was very low. This happened because it was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic which made people reluctant to go to public places.
“But it can also be too negative reporting that misunderstands the importance of vaccination,” he said.
The Aceh health office said the total number of cases of type 2 polio or paralysis in the province was four people, one of whom is still undergoing treatment at the Banda Aceh Docciael Abidin Regional General Hospital (RSUD).
The first case is in physiotherapy, while the other three cases are at their respective homes, because they are asymptomatic.
The three children who were infected with the polio virus were the same as in the first case, i.e. they had no complete background immunization history at all, so they were at high risk of contracting the virus.
On Thursday (11/24), the president of the Association of Indonesian Pediatricians (IDAI) dr. Piprim Basarah Yanuarso, Sp.A(K) appealed to the public not to hesitate to give polio vaccine to children because the risk of side effects from the vaccine is much lower than with polio exposure.
Side effects that may occur after a child is vaccinated are usually fever or swelling, but this risk is still much better than for a child who becomes paralyzed and has to be supported with a cane or moved around in a wheelchair for the rest. of his life.
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Reporter: Nanien Yuniar
Publisher: Ida Nurcahyan
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