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Students play
outside their school prior to the start of the Measles-Rubella immunization
campaign launch event in Sleman, Yogyakarta. The immunization push is part of
the Government’s pledge to eliminate Measles and Rubella by 2020. © Cory Rogers / UNICEF / 2017
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Yogyakarta: The Government of Indonesia kicked off its most ambitious immunization drive to date this week in Yogyakarta, with aims to vaccinate 35 million children in Java against Measles and Rubella (MR) by the end of next month. Another 35 million children will be targeted in all other provinces in August and September 2018.
The launch event, held at State
Islamic Junior High School 10 in Sleman, Yogyakarta, was officiated by
President Joko Widodo. “We all have a duty as parents, and a duty as the
State to protect our children, to make sure they’re healthy,” Jokowi told
hundreds of Yogyakartans gathered at the school. “Parents, schools – we all
need to explain that immunization is important for our children.
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President Jokowi stops by a classroom and sits with
students awaiting their MR vaccines. The Government will administer the MR
vaccine to any child between the ages of 9 months and 15 years free of charge
and integrate the vaccine into the standard package of immunizations. The goal
is to achieve 95 per cent coverage by the end of September 2018 and to
eliminate both diseases by 2020. © Cory Rogers / UNICEF / 2017.
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A young girl receives her MR vaccination, which prevents both
diseases and has been used in more than 141 countries in the world. The
vaccinations will be administered in schools in the month of August. In
September, the immunizations will move to local health centres and health
posts. © Cory Rogers / UNICEF / 2017.
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Grace Melia, founder of the online parents’ community
Rumah Ramah Rubella, speaks about the challenge of caring for her daughter
Aubrey, who was born with a severe case of Congenital Rubella Syndrome (CRS).
While the symptoms are mild in children and adults, when contracted by pregnant
women, Rubella can cause miscarriage or CRS which can harm foetal development
causing disabilities like heart defects, brain tissue damage, eye cataracts,
deafness and developmental delays.
© Cory Rogers / UNICEF / 2017 |
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From left to right, President Jokowi, First Lady Iriana, Yogyakarta Governor Sultan Hamengkubuwono X, Coordinating Human Development and Culture Minister Puan Maharani, and Minister of Health Nina Moeloek converse with three students at the end of the campaign launch event. Most schools in Indonesia have agreed to administer the immunization. In a small number of communities, however, misinformation has given rise to the idea that vaccines are considered haram, or forbidden by Islam. UNICEF has worked closely with the Government to counter this myth with an outreach strategy that highlights widespread Muslim acceptance of immunizations. © Cory Rogers / UNICEF / 2017
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