Health Threat, Deputy Health Minister: 2.3 Million Indonesian Children are "Zero Dose"

The emergence of measles cases and several other infectious diseases indicates ongoing gaps in immunisation protection within the community. Bandung (ANTARA) - Deputy Minister of Health (Wamenkes) Dante Saksono Harbuwono revealed that Indonesia still faces a serious health threat with 2.3 million children in the zero-dose category, or those who have not received even a single dose of basic immunisation in 2025. Wamenkes Dante emphasised that although national immunisation coverage has reached 80 per cent, this figure is insufficient to achieve herd immunity, which requires at least 90 per cent protection. “The emergence of measles cases and several other infectious diseases shows that there are still gaps in immunisation protection in the community,” said Wamenkes Dante during a thematic field visit in Bandung City, West Java, on Tuesday. According to him, the high number of zero-dose children is influenced by inaccurate information received by parents. He acknowledged that in recent times, several issues circulating about vaccines have led many parents to refuse immunisation for their children, such as for measles, polio, DPT, or others. Regarding trust issues, Dante exemplified the measles immunisation, whose base material for separating growth cells uses porcine trypsin, but it is then purified so that in the final product, the porcine trypsin is no longer present. “And this has been tested by the MUI, with the result that the measles vaccine contains no elements derived from that porcine trypsin,” said Wamenkes Dante. Issues that have developed, including religious ones, he said, pose challenges in explaining the importance of immunisation for children to the community. This is where, he continued, the important role of integrated service posts (Posyandu), regional leaders, mass media, and religious figures comes in, in explaining that the vaccine is safe, halal, and beneficial for the community. On that occasion, Dante appreciated the West Java Province for successfully reducing the number of zero-dose children significantly, from 102,000 to 67,000 children in just one year. “The reduction is nearly 40,000 children. This is an extraordinary achievement. Bandung has great potential to become a national example through health service innovations and strengthening Posyandu,” he said. The Deputy Minister also urged the mass media to enhance their role as a defence against health hoaxes on social media. Correct education regarding basic immunisation, such as measles, polio, and DPT, must be widely promoted to ensure that the nation’s future investment through child health remains protected.