TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin reminded mothers to ensure that their children have completed polio immunization to enable Indonesia to be free from the spread of the polio virus soon.

"I appealed to mothers at home to ensure that their children get complete polio immunization," he noted during the launch of the Sub-National Immunization Week (PIN) for Polio on Monday.

The minister conveyed the statement following the polio outbreak that occurred in Mane, Pidie District, Aceh.

Sadikin explained that Aceh is not a region with the lowest immunization coverage. However, it is among regions with low immunization coverage.

To this end, he encouraged parents, especially mothers, to immunize their children against polio.

He noted that immunization is an effort to prevent children from being infected with the polio virus that may cause paralysis.

He further explained that children are required to get oral polio vaccine (OPV) immunization four times when they are one to four months of age and followed by the inactivated poliovirus vaccine (IPV) immunization to be taken twice, with the first injection administered when they are four months old, while the second one is given when they are nine months of age.

He stressed that immunization is crucial, so it must be completed and not be missed under any circumstances.

The minister launched the Polio Sub-PIN in Aceh, with a total target of 1.2 million children aged up to 12 years. This activity is targeted to be completed within a month.

Currently, four cases of polio were detected in Aceh Province. All of the identified cases were found in Mane, Pidie District, and are currently still undergoing treatment.

According to Sadikin, polio cases in Aceh were caused by immunization that was not evenly distributed, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Our immunization for children under 12 years old is still not perfect," he stated.

ANTARA

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