Jakarta (ANTARA) – The Coordinating Ministry for Human Development and Culture outlined two important roles that basic immunization plays in providing optimal protection to children.Firstly, basic immunization offers protection to individuals from communicable diseases, Disease Control and Mitigation Assistant Deputy at the Ministry Nancy Dian Anggraeni stated when contacted here, Sunday. The second is that basic immunization provides immunity to groups. nggraeni emphasized that individual immunity was necessary to enable a child to grow in an optimal manner to become a quality and competitive human resource. Meanwhile, group immunity is deemed crucial in the effort to control or stop the spread of communicable diseases in society, she stressed. “Group immunity is also effective in providing protection to certain vulnerable groups, who, because of disease, allergy or decline in body immunity, are unable to receive immunization,” she noted. Thus, the ministry has urged all parties, starting from ministries or institutions, regional governments to the general public to continue to make various strategic efforts to improve basic immunization coverage. Dissemination and education on basic immunization should be intensified, and the people should continue to be reminded of various types of information surrounding basic immunization, she emphasized. These include the importance of basic immunization, what immunization should be conducted, and when immunization should be undertaken. The ministry also called on regional governments to continue to monitor and ensure the improvement of basic immunization coverage in their respective regions. “Regional governments should also collaborate with all stakeholders in their respective regions, so that they can play a role in improving immunization coverage and conduct efforts to stop the spread of communicable diseases,” she affirmed. Meanwhile, the Ministry’s Sustainable Development Expert Staff, Agus Suprapto, explained that low vaccination coverage allows the spread of a very dangerous virus. “Basic immunization is very beneficial to protect children from various preventable diseases, such as polio, diphtheria, measles, rubella, and hepatitis B, as well as several other ailments, which can be prevented with vaccination,” he stated.
Source: Antara News Agency