Deputy Health Minister highlights uneven measles immunisation coverage in Lampung

Bandar Lampung (ANTARA) - Indonesia’s Deputy Minister of Health (Wamenkes) Benjamin Paulus Octavianus has highlighted the uneven coverage of measles immunisation in Lampung Province. “In addition to tuberculosis (TB) cases, we are also highlighting measles cases in Lampung, particularly regarding the uneven immunisation coverage,” said the Deputy Minister in Bandar Lampung on Tuesday. According to him, achieving equitable immunisation is indeed a challenge for the government in efforts to prevent measles. Moreover, there is still resistance from some communities towards immunisation. “Of course, this is caused by incorrect information or hoaxes about immunisation,” he said. Therefore, he continued, the Ministry of Health has coordinated with the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) to strengthen education for the public on the importance of immunisation as a means of preventing measles. Meanwhile, Lampung’s Deputy Governor Jihan Nurlela expressed appreciation for the central government’s attention to handling infectious diseases in Lampung Province. “The Lampung Provincial Government will strengthen strategic steps, starting from improving disease surveillance, expanding immunisation coverage, strengthening public education, to cross-sectoral collaboration and health budget support,” she said. Based on data from 31 community health centres (puskesmas) in Bandar Lampung City up to March, there were around 51 suspected measles cases among toddlers. Meanwhile, reports from several hospitals, both public and private, recorded a total of 169 suspected cases, although not all have been confirmed to originate from Bandar Lampung residents.