Doctors recommend children's immunisation completed two weeks before Eid travel

Jakarta – A paediatric respiratory specialist, Dr. Nastiti Kaswandani, has advised parents to complete their children’s immunisations at least 14 days or two weeks before Eid travel to provide better protection against vaccine-preventable diseases during the holiday period.

“To obtain protection during travel, the vaccine requires sufficient time to generate immunity,” Dr. Nastiti stated when contacted. “A minimum of 14 days, or two weeks, is needed as most vaccines require this timeframe to generate immunity.”

She noted that immunisation side effects such as fever or pain at the injection site may occur after vaccination. “Therefore, do not wait to vaccinate just before departure tomorrow. This would not provide comfort but could result in fever, pain at the injection site, and failure to obtain immunity because there has not been sufficient time for immunity to develop,” she explained.

Dr. Nastiti also recommended that parents prepare fever-reducing medicine to address the possibility of children developing fever during Eid travel. Additionally, she suggested that vaccinations for hepatitis A and hepatitis B should be administered if the child has not yet received them.

She stated that ideally, children should receive complete basic immunisation in accordance with the Ministry of Health’s recommendations, which include hepatitis B, BCG, polio, diphtheria and tetanus, and measles and rubella vaccines. “If we follow the government programme, all of these should already be completed,” she said.