The East Java Health Agency has targeted to vaccinate 10,717,765 residents aged between one and 19 years old in 2018 following a diphtheria outbreak in the province. The province has set aside Rp 89 billion (US$6.5 million) to finance the program, dubbed the Outbreak Response Immunization.

Agency head Kohar Hari Santoso said on Saturday that the agency had also involved religious figures affiliated with major organizations such as the Religious Affairs Ministry, the Indonesia Ulema Council and Muslim groups in anticipation of resistance based on religious reasons, such as doubts over the halal status of the injection.

“[Some people have] doubts over vaccinations. We have anticipated this by involving religious figures. [Vaccination] is important,” he said.

East Java saw the highest number of diphtheria cases in 2017, which stood at 460 cases, 16 of whom died, up from 352 in 2016.

The vaccination program will be conducted in three phases. The first phase is set to be carried out between February and March. The second and third phases will be conducted between April and May and October and November respectively. (swd)

Source:
courtesy of THE JAKARTA POST

by Aman Rochman

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