Besides not understanding the importance of immunization, many parents also doubt the safety and quality of vaccines.
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·6 minutes read
Kompas/Wawan H Prabowo
Para kader kesehatan masyarakat mengikuti sosialisasi program outbreak response immunization atau imunisasi ulang yang terkait dengan kejadian luar biasa difteri di Puskesmas Jurangmangu, Pondokaren, Tangerang Selatan, Banten, Kamis (7/12). Dalam kesempatan itu juga dilakukan pemberian imunisasi Tetanus difteri (Td) kepada para petugas Puskesmas yang nantinya akan terjun ke lapangan.
Suryanto, a 48-year old man, was struggling to reach a wooden bench as he arrived in front of the library at Isa Almasih church in Lengkong Besa, Bandung, West Java, on Saturday afternoon. He was accompanied by his 46-year old sister, Hanna Ramali.
They had just arrived from the Diakonia Christmas Diakonia in Lembang, West Bandung regency. While waiting to be escorted to his home on Jalan Ciateul Kulon, Bandung, Suryanto tapped the right hand with his left.
"Ka\'u[…], ka\'u […]," Yanto replied when asked by Hanna why he tapped his hand. Yanto’s left hand was stiff and difficult to move. "He said his hand was stiff," Hanna said.
In addition to the difficulty to pronounce the words, Yanto also limped. His legs are not symmetrical because some of his leg muscles are contracted or stiff.
The second child of four brothers was normal when he was born. Until the age of 8, Yanto’s physical condition was fine. He later developed a high fever after drinking something cold. He could not even talk. His body was paralyzed. The family then took him to a hospital in Bandung. He was hospitalized for about two years. Gradually, he was able to stand and walk, though with trouble. According to the diagnosis, Yanto had polio.
Hanna said Yanto never got vaccinated. The government’s immunization program at that time (1970\'s) was very minimal. The economic condition of Yanto\'s family was also very bad. His father, who worked as a shoe designer, had little income. "Until now I am not really familiar with the immunization, but my children all got vaccinated," Hanna added.
"Now, if he is sick such as suffering from a fever or flu, Yanto never takes medicine, even if he gets the medicine from the doctor. Even though he cannot talk clearly, we know this from the expression on his pale face, "said Hanna.
Aside from causing paralysis, polio can also lead to death as experienced by Iwan Nugraha, the second son of Undang Sutarna, 57. Iwan died seven years ago after suffering from polio for 19 years.
Like Yanto’s family, Undang’s also did not know the benefits of immunization. "What is a vaccine? I do not know anything about health. As far as I know the immunization program is from the government," he said when he was met at his home in the village of Kutawaringin, Bandung regency.
When Iwan was a toddler, Undang rarely stayed at home. He worked odd jobs in Bandung to meet the needs of the family. He only came home once every two weeks or a month.
Family affairs, including the health of his son, were handled by his wife, Wiwin, who died when Iwan was 6 years old. As far as Undang knew, Wiwin once took Iwan to get vaccinated. However, he did not know the type of immunization his child was getting at the time.
"I did know how many times my child was immunized. I just left it to his mother. However, according to some midwives who have examined him, Iwan suffered from polio, "he said.
Iwan\'s physical abnormality was seen when he was one years old. At that age, a baby usually begins to crawl. However, Iwan was only able to lie down. Due to financial constraints, Iwan was not able to get proper medical treatment. "He was taken to a midwife several times. He also received alternative medicine, but his physical growth was not normal, "he said.
Because Iwan could not speak clearly, his family used sign language while interacting with Iwan. If he wanted to move, he rolled around. If he cried, it meant he was hungry. When speaking directly, his words were difficult to understand.
Undang said he did not understand if an infant must get vaccinated. With his low education, he seemed to neglect the health of his son. "May it not happen to other children," he said.
The stories of Suryanto and Iwan serve as an opaque portrait of our health world. They were victims of a lack of knowledge about the importance of immunization. Education and immunization campaigns should be intensified so that people understand the importance of immunization to keep children healthy.
Quality of vaccine
Besides not understanding the importance of immunization, many parents also doubt the safety and quality of vaccines.
A housewife in Katerban Village, Baron District, Nganjuk District, East Java, who did not want to be named, admitted to refusing bring her two-year-old child for immunization. In fact, her six-year-old son had already gotten vaccinated.
The woman chose to sign a declaration rejecting diphtheria and rubella (MR) immunization. The head of the Puskesmas (community health center) in Sambikenceng, Anis Ratnawati, said the mother of two refused immunization because her husband objected it. After a fake vaccine case last year, her husband suspected all vaccines used in the immunization program were fake.
Two other parents who also rejected the immunization program because the vaccines being used had not been certified halal (permissible under Islamic law). "We invited them over and over again, but the child\'s father still refused to do so. Parents who refused the immunization, should sign a refusal statement. We submitted the refusal statement to the authority," said Ratna.
Rejection of immunization also occurred in a junior high school (SMP) in Baron district. A parent did allow her child to be given the MR vaccine because the vaccine being used had not been certified “halal”.
The head of the department for disease prevention, disease control and environmental health in Nganjuk regency, Saifulloh, acknowledged that vaccine refusal by some residents had hampered the immunization programs in the region.
The children who are not immunized become susceptible to illness. If the unimmunized children live in the same area, the risk of outbreaks is greater. Of the 12 deaths of diphtheria cases this year in East Java, one came from Nganjuk. The victim rented a house within the area of Sukomoro public health center in Padas village. The death occurred in September 2017. The rejection of immunization threatens the health of the nation\'s next generation.
