So, don't let it multiply, spreading againSurakarta, Central Java (ANTARA) - Vice President Ma'ruf Amin on Monday called for the implementation of immediate preventive measures against polio in Aceh before the disease spreads to other areas.
"I think this needs to be addressed immediately; don't let this become a pandemic like before. So, don't let it multiply, spreading again," Amin said in Surakarta on Monday.
The Vice President made the remarks in response to journalists' questions on polio handling in Aceh, that has declared an extraordinary occurrence (KLB) of the disease following the discovery of one polio case in Pidie District.
The declaration has been made because polio can cause permanent paralysis and even death, especially in children under five years who have not been vaccinated against the virus.
"So that (the handling) will be more thorough, detected, and dealt with swiftly so it doesn't spread, because if this becomes a pandemic, it becomes a problem like we have experienced before, that there was polio immunization initiative, which became nationwide," he recalled.
Meanwhile, Director General of Disease Prevention and Control at the Health Ministry Maxi Rein Rondonuwu said that Indonesia is at high risk of poliovirus spread.
"If we look at 30 provinces and 415 districts and cities, all of them meet the criteria of high, high risk, all polio vaccination coverage is low. So now, Indonesia is at high risk for polio outbreaks," he informed at a press conference, which was accessed from here on November 19.
Rondonuwu said that BOPV polio drops, or bivalent oral polio vaccines, are currently being used for polio immunization in Indonesia. The vaccine helps prevent type 1 and 2 polioviruses and is administered orally four times at an interval of four months.
The oral vaccine is administered in combination with the inactivated polio vaccine (IPV). A booster vaccine is also administered to children at the age of 9 months along with the measles or rubella vaccine.
However, OPV4 and IPV vaccination coverage in Indonesia is low. In 2020, the OPV4 coverage was 86.8 percent and IPV 37.7 percent. Meanwhile, in 2021, OPV4 coverage declined to 80.2 percent while IPV coverage rose to 66.2 percent. Therefore, the government is pursuing the children’s immunization program.
He informed that the discovery of one case of polio in Aceh in November 2022 was due to the absence of polio vaccinations, both OPV4 as well as IPV, for four consecutive years in the area.
He said he expected that active involvement from everyone would help increase the coverage of polio immunization.
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Translator: Desca L N, Mecca Yumna
Editor: Sri Haryati
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