TEMPO.CO, Jakarta-Health Ministry said that the public no need to worry about the recent report on fake vaccines.
“If your children are getting immunized in posyandu [health outposts], puskesmas [community health centers], and government hospitals, the vaccines are genuinely effective and safe,” the Health Ministry wrote on its official Twitter account @KemenkesRI, Monday, June 27, 2016. Because the government obtains vaccines from official manufacturers and distributors.
The vaccines which originality are guaranteed are the ones administered in the Complete Basic Immunization. In the program, children are administered with hepatitis B, DPT, measle and BCG vaccines. The vaccines from the government are being distributed to health departments and health service facilities.
Whereas the National Health Insurance (JKN) procurred its vaccines based on the National Formula (Fornas) and e-catalogue from licensed manufacturers and distributors. The vaccines are guarenteed real and safe.
The Ministry said that even without fake vaccine issue, DPT, polio and measle vaccinations are encouraged to be done twice. “So, no need to worry, please undergo immunization in posyandu and puskesmas.”
According to the Ministry, the distribution of fake vaccines is no more than 1 percent in Jakarta, Banten and West Java. The amount is relatively small, both in number and distribution.
Health ministry said that the fake vaccines allegedly contain the combination of intravenous liquid and .5 cc of gentamicin (antibiotics) in every immunization. “Considering the content and the dosage, the fake vaccines are relatively not dangerous,” wrote the Ministry.
However, the vaccines have allegedly been made inappropriately which could cause infection symptoms which can be observed soon after immunization. “If infection symptoms were not found long after immunization, the vaccines are certainly safe,” states the Ministry.
Directorate of Economic and Special Crimes, Police Investigation Unit, had arrested ten suspects of fake vaccine distributors and manufacturers. The Director for Economic and Special Crimes Brigadier General Agung Setya said that the perpetrators had been making various fake vaccines since 2003. They combine the vaccines with intravenous liquids and tetanus vaccine. “[The vaccines] are packaged similar to the real ones and [were being] distributed,” Agung said in his office, Thursday, June 23, 2016.
According to Agung, the perpetrators made a package of fake vaccines for Rp150,000 and were sold at Rp250,000. Whereas genuine vaccines are sold at Rp800,000 to Rp900,000 per package. The distribution was allegedly made across Indonesia.
Ten men being arrested comprised of five manufacturers, two messengers, two sellers and a printing worker who labeled the vaccines. The are charged with violating Law on Health and Law on Consumer Protection. They could face 15 years in prison. The evidence seized by the police are 195 packs of hepatitis B vaccine, 221 bottle of Pediacel vaccine, 364 bottles of dried measle vaccine solvent, and 81 packages of vaccines.
VINDRY FLORENTIN | REZKI ALVIONITASARI
