TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Internal medicine specialist and vaccinologist, Dirga Sakti Rambe, said there were several success stories of vaccines to contain a pandemic.

“The most phenomenal example of the success of the vaccination program is the eradication of smallpox, [which is caused by] variola virus,” said Dirga in a ‘Dialog Produktif’ or Productive Dialogue on Tuesday, November 3, 2020. The dialogue was held by the media center of the national COVID-19 and economic recovery committee.

Dirga said that since the 1900s, smallpox has been eliminated through vaccination. At that time, one in three people died of the disease.

The other successful vaccination programs are for measles and polio. Presently, he added, the two diseases have been on the verge of being contained. Through vaccination, Indonesia has been freed from polio for several years.

“This is clear evidence of successful immunization with high coverage,” Dirga remarked.

According to him, vaccination has a concept of herd immunity. When a high percentage of the population gets vaccinated, the protection will not only be for them but also for their community.

To achieve this herd immunity, Dirga mentioned two conditions that must be met. “First, the vaccine must be effective. Second, the immunization coverage must be high, at least 60-70 percent,” he said.

Almost all countries were presently racing to develop effective Covid-19 vaccines to control the pandemic, including Indonesia with its own antibody dubbed Merah Putih which was being developed by six institutions.

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FRISKI RIANA