Diphtheria Outbreak in 20 Indonesian Provinces

dafluff

Moderator
Moderator
Cager
Joined
Jul 13, 2016
Messages
4,685
vaccination-1215279_1280.jpg


An outbreak of Diphtheria (or Difteri in Indonesian) has so far claimed the life of 32 people this year in Indonesia. Since the outbreak, over 600 cases have been reported in 20 provinces across the nation. Consequently it has prompted the government to scramble a mass immunization campaigns.

The disease was all but eliminated in Indonesia in the 1990s. However it has made a comeback recently due to low vaccination rates. The Ministry of Health has said that in 66% of the cases the patient was never vaccinated, and in 31% they only received partial vaccination.

Meanwhile, the Indonesian Pediatric Association recommends 3 shots by the age of 6 months, with booster shots at 18 months and 5 years of age. Furthermore, adults are recommended to have a Td (tetanus-diphtheria) booster shot every 10 years.

The vaccine is available for free in Indonesia during the mass campaign, and is otherwise also covered by BPJS for children under the age of 18.

The Indonesian Council of Ulema have stated that Muslims are permitted to take the vaccination despite it not having received halal certification yet. This is because it is a life saving emergency measure.

Diphtheria is caused by the airborne Corynebacterium Diptheriae bacteria and causes symptoms such as fever of 38 °C or higher, chills, fatigue, bluish skin coloration, sore throat, hoarseness, cough, headache, difficulty swallowing, difficulty breathing, rapid breathing, foul-smelling and bloodstained nasal discharge, and lymphadenopathy.

Those exhibiting symptoms should be isolated from healthy people and referred to a medical facility as soon as possible.
 
Thank you for sharing It is pretty scary in such a populated country that some simple basics are just not done. Apparently the same goes for measles as well.

I am just getting over an annoying sore throat, difficulty swallowing, fever and cough. My wife got me worried when she showed the announcement from the Good Practice. But the fact that I am well now after a doctor prescribed 6-day antibiotic course means I probably did not have it. It seems to be the season to get sick now.

My kid is 18 months now, we scrambled to get her a booster shot yesterday. I guess for safety us adults should get the booster shot as well.
 
I never knew there was diphtheria vaccine included in a tetanus shot. Thanks for that.
Circumstance has got me a tetanus shot every ten years or so since my youth so should be up to date :)
 
I am scheduled for a TD booster before we step on to the tarmac this coming summer, in addition to the shingle vaccine mentioned in another thread.
 
Back in 2011 I was preparing for a trip to NTT so visited my GP. in Australia to get some anti-malarial medication.

Besides doxycycline for malaria my GP also gave me a Diphtheria / Tetanus shot & a Hepatitis A / Typhoid shot before completing & giving me an “International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis” (it's actually a passport sized yellow booklet) which has lived alongside my passport ever since.

Six months after the initial shots I received a Hepatitis A booster which was also entered into the “Certificate” so I'm apparently covered in all those regards until 2021.

The International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis is designed mainly for proof of vaccination against yellow fever which is not required for Indonesia but is handy as a personal & Internationally recognised record of other vaccinations.

The way I see it, should I have a mishap or become ill whilst in Indonesia I can avoid jabs that I don't need & which could possibly not be in my best interest.

http://www.who.int/ihr/ports_airports/icvp/en/
 

Users who viewed this discussion (Total:0)

Follow Us

Latest Expat Indo Articles

Latest Tweets by Expat Indo

Latest Activity

New posts Latest threads

Online Now

Newest Members

Forum Statistics

Threads
5,966
Messages
97,385
Members
3,035
Latest member
Les 819
Back
Top Bottom