{
    "success": true,
    "data": {
        "id": 1734872,
        "msgid": "2-3-million-indonesian-children-unimmunised-parents-worried-about-side-effects-1778608518",
        "date": "2026-05-12 15:50:42",
        "title": "2.3 Million Indonesian Children Unimmunised, Parents Worried About Side Effects",
        "author": "",
        "source": "CNBC",
        "tags": "",
        "topic": "Social Policy",
        "summary": "Approximately 2.3 million children in Indonesia remain unvaccinated, categorised as zero-dose, primarily due to parental concerns over side effects, misinformation, and religious issues, exacerbating outbreaks of diseases like measles. The Health Ministry highlights a drop in immunisation coverage during the COVID-19 pandemic and ongoing challenges from hoaxes, while local governments in areas like Bandung are strengthening community health centres to reduce these numbers. This situation underscores the need for community immunity to prevent the resurgence of preventable diseases, with recent data showing declines in zero-dose cases in West Java.",
        "content": "<p>Indonesia\u2019s immunisation programme continues to face significant\nchallenges in the form of public scepticism towards vaccines,\nparticularly concerns about side effects. Many parents fear their\nchildren will experience fever, seizures, or other health issues after\nvaccination, although most vaccine side effects are mild and temporary.\nThese worries are further amplified by the proliferation of hoaxes and\nmisinformation on social media, ranging from claims about vaccine\ncontents to accusations that vaccines cause certain diseases. Nia, a\nmother in Bandung, admitted to initially hesitating to bring her\nthree-year-old son, Kenzi, back to the community health post. Even her\nchild\u2019s grandmother suggested stopping the vaccinations. However, news\nof rising measles cases changed her mind. \u201cInitially, I was scared\nbecause he had a fever after the vaccination before. His grandmother\neven said we shouldn\u2019t vaccinate anymore. But when I heard about\nmeasles, I started thinking about vaccinating again,\u201d said Nia after\nbringing Kenzi for his third DPT immunisation at Posyandu Tela 9 in\nBandung City on Tuesday (12\/5\/2026). In contrast, Mia expressed no\ndoubts about immunising her one-year-old child. She stated that her\nchild has received vaccinations since birth and is now getting the\nsecond dose at Moch Ramdan Community Health Centre in Bandung. \u201cI have\nan immunisation record book, so I know the schedule. To keep the child\nhealthy and protected from diseases,\u201d she said. The Ministry of Health\n(Kemenkes) revealed that around 2.3 million children in Indonesia are\nstill in the zero-dose category, meaning they have never received any\nimmunisation. This situation is cited as one of the causes of the\nresurgence of extraordinary measles events (KLB) in several regions.\nDeputy Minister of Health Dante Saksono Harbuwono stated that\nimmunisation coverage declined during the COVID-19 pandemic because\nhealth services were focused on handling the pandemic. \u201cAs a result, it\nhappened a few years later. One of them was the measles KLB that\noccurred recently,\u201d said Dante during a thematic field visit titled\n\u201cChasing Zero-Dose Children in Bandung City, West Java\u201d on Tuesday.\nDante explained that children who do not receive immunisation are\nunprotected from various infectious diseases such as measles, polio, and\nDPT. He also highlighted the prevalence of vaccine hoaxes that make some\nparents afraid to immunise their children. One prominent hoax was the\nclaim that vaccines cause autism. \u201cIt turns out that empirical studies\nwe\u2019ve conducted show that millions of people worldwide have never\nexperienced autism side effects,\u201d said Dante. Additionally, religious\nissues remain a challenge. Dante explained that the measles vaccine,\nwhich was once questioned, has undergone a purification process and is\ndeclared safe and halal. \u201cIt has been tested by the MUI; the vaccine no\nlonger contains any elements derived from porcine trypsin,\u201d he said.\nMeanwhile, Bandung City Mayor Muhammad Farhan stated that the local\ngovernment is now working to strengthen the role of community health\nposts to achieve targets for reducing zero-dose cases in the community.\n\u201cThe zero-dose child phenomenon is fundamentally not just about data and\nstatistics. There is the welfare of children that we need to guarantee\nfor our collective future certainty,\u201d said Farhan. Farhan also\nacknowledged ongoing rejections of immunisation due to the influence of\nanti-vaccine movements and differing religious views in society.\nTherefore, he believes the involvement of religious and community\nleaders is crucial in immunisation education. \u201cThe Bandung City\nGovernment is continuously strengthening the role of community health\nposts and area-based approaches to reduce zero-dose numbers,\u201d he\nemphasised. Ministry of Health data records that the number of zero-dose\nchildren in West Java dropped from around 102,000 in 2024 to 67,000 in\n2025. Meanwhile, in Bandung City, the number is now around 6,700\nchildren, down from about 8,000 the previous year. Dante emphasised that\nimmunisation not only protects one child but also builds community\nimmunity so that infectious diseases do not resurge. \u201cIf even one person\nis not immunised, we cannot eliminate or eradicate certain diseases in\nthat area,\u201d he said.<\/p>",
        "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/2-3-million-indonesian-children-unimmunised-parents-worried-about-side-effects-1778608518",
        "image": ""
    },
    "sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
    "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}