Agency denies polio vaccines danger
Agency denies polio vaccines danger
Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
In response to the deaths of four infants after they received
polio vaccines last month, the City Health Agency is reassuring
parents that the vaccines are safe.
The agency says there is no link between the four deaths and
the vaccine, and has urged parents to bring their children in for
a second round of vaccinations beginning on June 28.
"This oral polio vaccine is the safest of the vaccines for
infants and side effects are very rare .... If parents refuse to
take their infants in for the second round of vaccinations, we
will have a serious problem in our efforts to eliminate the polio
virus from the city," agency head Abdul Chalik Masulili told The
Jakarta Post on Sunday.
Masulili promised that the vaccine was safe for infants.
He added that the Food and Drug Monitoring Agency had approved
the polio vaccine, which is manufactured by Bio Farma of Bandung.
"We have a certificate that guarantees the supply of vaccines
we are using for the nationwide vaccination program has not
passed the expiration date," Masulili said.
He said each bottle containing a polio vaccine came with
safety indicators that could be read by nonexperts.
The agency said at least 923,000 infants received a polio
vaccine last month, and claimed to have received no complaints
about the vaccination program.
Concern over the safety of the polio vaccines surfaced
following a report by the Legal Aid Institute for Health that 61
babies, including six in Jakarta, one in Depok and one in
Bandung, had died or became sick after receiving "substandard"
polio vaccines.
The parents of a nine-month-old girl, Nabila, who died six
days after receiving a polio vaccine in Depok, have filed a
complaint with the Jakarta Police against the Depok
administration, which they accuse of negligence in the death of
Nabila.
The Ministry of Health has denied any links between the
vaccine and the children's deaths, citing a preliminary report by
the National Committee on Post-Vaccination Incidents. The
committee includes experts in public health, virology and
microbiology from several universities.
Despite the assurances from the central government and the
Jakarta administration, many parents remain concerned about the
safety of the vaccines.
"I will not take my baby girl to the vaccination post .... I
simply do not trust the poorly trained health workers who are
giving the vaccines. Are their hands really clean?" said Noni, a
resident of Karet, Central Jakarta.
Elita, who lives in Ciputat, South Jakarta, said reports on
the possible side effects of the vaccines frightened her.
"I have consulted a relative who works at the City Health
Agency and some friends, including my pediatrician. They all say
the vaccination poses no danger for my baby, but I still worry
about the safety of the vaccine," she said.
The city administration has said vaccinations are mandatory
for all babies in order to ensure the capital is free of the
polio virus.
After years of being officially declared polio-free, several
cases of the disease were discovered early last month in
Sukabumi, West Java, about 60 kilometers south of Jakarta.