Refusal to vaccinate violates children’s rights

Starting from the 5th to the 11th of each month there is the usual schedule of health services at Posyandu. Especially health services for children that are done by Bunguran Selatan Community Health Center, Natuna Regency. The services provided range from measuring the growth and development of children, nutritional counseling and vaccination comprehensive basics (IDL) for children in the health center work area.

Looking at the Bunguran Selatan Community Health Center Performance Evaluation Report 2023 (PKP), the overall basic immunization (IDL) performance of 66.7% is still below the target set by the Natuna District Health Service, which is 90%. Low IDL performance means that diseases that the government could prevent with vaccination are slowly being eradicated or eradicated.

Efforts to prevent disease through vaccination are routine efforts and must be implemented continuously to free the community from vaccine preventable diseases (PD3I). Vaccination is an attempt to increase or actively create a person’s immunity against disease. So when you are exposed to an infection one day, you will be immune or reduce the symptoms that arise as a result of the infection.

Immunity is created starting from individual protection, when each person creates antibodies against the disease, group immunity (Herd Immunity) is created, so VPD can be eliminated. A number of vaccine preventable diseases include Hepatitis B, Poliomyelitis, Tuberculosis, Diphtheria, Pertussis, Tetanus, Pneumonia and Meningitis caused by Hemophilus Influenza type B (Hib).

According to Health Law No. 17 of 2023 Article 44, every infant and child has the right to receive basic vaccination according to the provisions. At the same time, paragraph 3 states that the family, the Central Government, the Regional Government and the Community must support the vaccination of babies and children. Immunization is a very valuable investment in a child’s future. If parents want to vaccinate their children.

The role of parents is very important for their children because children, in this case toddlers, do not know anything. Family influence is very important children’s rights can be achieved, especially in fulfilling the right to health protection through vaccination.

However, many parents of targeted vaccine recipients refuse to vaccinate their children. This is in direct conflict with children’s rights to be protected from vaccine preventable diseases.

Unfortunately, children harm future children. The parents who were aiming for the vaccine refused because the parents could not give up their child and they cried. In addition, they assume that all vaccinations will make the child feverish and irritable. Fever after vaccination is a sign that the child’s body is responding to the vaccine to create immunity against the disease that the vaccine prevents.

Vaccines contain components of disease-causing bacteria or viruses (in a weakened or dead form), so that the child’s immune system starts producing antibodies. This process sometimes causes babies to have a fever as a side effect.

It is true that there are several vaccines that cause adverse events after vaccination (AEFI) from fever, red swelling at the injection site. But not all vaccines cause AEFI.

Some vaccines that often cause AEFI are DPT-HB-Hib 1, DPT-HB-Hib 2, DPT-HB-Hib 3 and Measles-Rubella (MR). Even if it causes AEFI, this vaccine is very useful for children so that they have immunity against Diphtheria, Pertussis, Tetanus, Measles and Rubella. In addition to these vaccines, in order for children to be fully immunized, they must receive Hepatitis B, BCG, Polio, Rota Virus and PCV vaccines.