IDAI recommends annual influenza vaccination for children
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Indonesian Pediatric Society (IDAI) recommends annual influenza vaccination for children starting from six months of age as an effort to reduce the risk of infection, disease severity, and complications.
“Influenza vaccination must be administered every year because the influenza virus continues to evolve through antigenic drift and antigenic shift. This year’s vaccine is designed to match the strains predicted to circulate,” said Prof. Dr. dr. Anggraini Alam, Sp.A, Subsp IPT(K), a member of the IDAI Tropical Disease Infection Coordination Unit, in an official statement confirmed in Jakarta on Monday.
Anggrainini stated that influenza vaccination in children can also provide protection to other family members, particularly infants under six months of age who are not yet eligible for vaccination.
Influenza vaccines are available in trivalent or quadrivalent inactive forms, as well as live intranasal vaccines for healthy individuals aged 2–49 years. Other benefits include reducing the risk of infection by 40 to 60 per cent and decreasing the severity of the disease and its complications.
These vaccination recommendations are issued amidst increasing influenza activity within the Southeast Asian transmission zone. According to World Health Organization (WHO) data published via the “WHO Western Pacific Region” for the period of 1 September 2025 to 30 August 2026, influenza activity in the region continues to rise.
In Indonesia, sentinel monitoring shows positive fluctuations of influenza throughout the year, with a peak in late 2025 and a resurgence in mid-2026.
The Indonesian Ministry of Health also announced that the Influenza A H3N2 subclad K subtype has been detected in 13 provinces. A surge in patients has also been reported in East Java.
The General Secretary of the IDAI Central Executive Board, DR Dr Hikari Ambations Sjakti, Sp.A, Subsp H.Onk(K), stated that children are a vulnerable group to influenza infections.
“Global data shows that children aged 0–17 years have a twice as high risk of experiencing symptomatic influenza infection compared to adults,” said Hikari.
IDAI data indicates that approximately five per cent of children infected with influenza require hospitalisation. Of these, 80 per cent are children under the age of two, with 50 per cent being under six months of age.
In addition to vaccination, IDAI reminds the public to implement preventive measures such as hand washing, wearing masks, practising cough etiquette, and not sending sick children to school or playgrounds until they have fully recovered.
Children are known to be able to transmit the influenza virus from 24 hours before symptoms appear until 10 days after. Therefore, for infected children, IDAI recommends sufficient rest, adequate hydration, and the administration of fever-reducing medication as indicated.
For high-risk patients or those with severe symptoms, medication according to a doctor’s prescription can be administered with dosages based on age and weight, ideally within the first 48 hours.
IDAI also reminds parents to be alert to danger signs such as shortness of breath, high fever that does not subside, decreased consciousness, or dehydration, and to immediately take the child to the nearest health facility.