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| 2017: Indonesia Fighting against Diphtheria and Anti-Immunization |
By the end of 2017, society is overwhelmed by the Occurrence of Diphtheria. Ministry of Health data shows that up to November 2017, there were 95 districts / cities from 20 provinces reported cases of this disease. In West Java, according to MOH website, there are 13 deaths due to diphtheria, while in Banten it reaches 9 people.
The number of diphtheria events has continued to rise in recent years. By 2016, according to Indonesia Health Profile data, there are 415 cases with 24 deaths. The year before, there were 252 cases of diphtheria and 5 of them died.
Of course the health authorities should examine the possible factors for the outbreak. However, judging by the trend, the coverage of complete basic immunization in Indonesian infants continues to decline. In 2012, the participation reached 93.3 percent, but down to 86.8 percent in 2013. Then, 89.9 percent in 2013, to 86.9 percent in 2014 and 86.5 percent in 2015.
2017: Indonesia Fighting against Diphtheria and Anti-Immunization Diphtheria actually battled Indonesia in 1990, when the immunization program was encouraged. However, the bacterial infectious disease that commonly attacks the mucous membranes of the nose and throat is present again in East Java in 2009.
In addition to the presence of unvaccinated groups from the start, the diphtheria outbreak was exacerbated by a lack of public awareness of DPT immunization every 10 years. According to Director of Surveillance and Quarantine of the Ministry of Health, Elizabeth Jane Soepardi, this condition causes the body's resistance to bacteria decline.
"Proven 60 percent of diphtheria cases occur because they are not immunized," said dr. Jane to Tirto.
Of course not all children or adults can be immunized. There are certain conditions, such as allergies, that make not everyone can be injected with the vaccine. However, the surroundings of children or adults who have such exceptions should still be immunized.
Immunization is not only important for every individual injected, but also for neighbors or people around him who have a specificity can not be immunized. A predominantly immunized environment that is not infected with a virus or bacteria, will be a bulwark for a handful of individuals who can not inject a vaccine and become a shield for people with higher vulnerabilities.
2017: Indonesia Fighting against Diphtheria and Anti-Immunization
Disease That Never Be Outbreak
Besides diphtheria, Indonesia has also experienced other epidemics of disease outbreaks. One of them is a bloody feminist who had an epidemic in 2009. In a newsletter issued by Kemenkes Data and Surveillance Center, it is mentioned that this epidemic cycle occurs every nine-ten years.
This happens allegedly because there are climate changes that affect the vector life. Climate change causes changes in rainfall, temperature, humidity, air direction so that the effect on terrestrial and ocean ecosystems. This condition affects the proliferation of disease vectors such as Aedes mosquitoes, malaria, and others.
In addition, community participation is still considered less in the activities of Mosquito Squar Eradication (PSN). There are also factors of population growth and increased mobility, causing the DHF virus more easily expanded.
2017: Indonesia Fighting against Diphtheria and Anti-Immunization
Then, in 2013, Indonesia has also faced outbreaks of hepatitis A. In that year, nationally estimated there are 1.2 percent of the population in Indonesia suffering from hepatitis disease, doubled compared to 2007, ie 0.6 percent.
In fact, the coverage of HB0 and HB3 immunization since 2000-2013 increased significantly, even exceeding the target. This condition illustrates the importance of re-immunization to reshape the body's immunity against certain diseases that begin to disappear.
Furthermore, in 2011, the outbreak of chikungunya spread in six provinces namely Banten, Central Java, East Java, Bali, West Nusa Tenggara, and West Kalimantan. The disease is classified as a re-emerging disease, often causing outbreaks in the Asian region including Indonesia. Chikungunya is characterized by fever accompanied by pain in the dominant joint. He suffered more from men and productive age groups.