President Jokowi Inspects National Immunization Week in Jayapura Regency

President Joko Widodo makes a press statement after inspecting National Immunization Week activity at Rajawali 3 Integrated Health Post, East Sentani district, Jayapura regency, Papua province, Tuesday (07/23). (Photo by: Bureau of Press, Media, and Information of Presidential Secretariat)

As the Government aimed to boost vaccination program to fight various diseases, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo emphasized the importance of being vigilant about polio virus and increasing tuberculosis (TBC) cases.

“Well, we have to be cautious because currently polio outbreak occurs once again throughout the world. TBC cases also increase,” Presiden Jokowi said in his press statement after inspecting National Immunization Week activity at Rajawali 3 Integrated Health Post (Posyandu), East Sentani district, Jayapura regency, Papua province, Tuesday (07/23).

President Jokowi instructed that all staff of Health Ministry and regional Health Agencies should be designated especially in areas with low rate of vaccination in order to ensure that all children get polio vaccine to protect them against polio.

The National Immunization Week activity is one of the Government’s efforts to boost vaccination in Indonesia and to improve the people’s health and prevent them from infectious diseases.

Health Ministry received a report mentioning that polio outbreak occurs in a number of Indonesia’s regions, with 32 provinces and 399 regencies/cities at high risk.

Since 2022 to 2024, the Ministry receives reports of 12 cases of paralysis, 11 cases caused by type 2 polio virus, and 1 case caused by type 1 polio virus. The cases were reported from 8 Indonesian provinces, namely provinces of Aceh, West Java, Central Java, East Java, Central Papua, Highland Papua, South Papua, and Banten.

The Health Ministry has made polio mapping in Indonesia, and it receives recommendations of National Immunization Committee (KIN), PD3I Surveillance Experts Committee, WHO, and UNICEF to boost additional immunization through, among others, National Immunization Week against polio to address this disease outbreak and to use Oral Polio Vaccine Type 2 (nOPV2) to respond type 2 polio disease outbreak. (FID/ABD)(AW/LW)