Protecting Every Child Against Polio in West Java

Gugum (29), a nurse from Puskesmas Maniis, carefully transports a vial of nOPV2 in a carrier aboard his trusty motorcycle from Puskesmas Maniis to Sinargalih Village. While many villages can be reached by vehicle, Gugum and his colleagues often face rough terrain that requires them to travel on foot. The single vial transported by Gugum will be used for 50 recipients, protecting them from poliovirus type 2. 

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Maulana Yusuf (4) receives nOPV2 at the Sinargalih Village Hall in Sinargalih, Purwakarta. A total of 22 targeted recipientscame to the village hall that morning. The vaccination session was followed by home visits to the nearby neighbourhood. 

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Minah (41), a village midwife from Sinargalih, conducting home visits with Noneng (33), a village midwife from Tegaldatar Village, with the help of health cadres, in Sinargalih Village. 

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Minah and a health cadre, accompanied by a WHO staff, explain the importance of polio vaccination prior to administering the nOPV2 vaccine during a home visit in Sinargalih Village, Purwakarta on 5 April 2023.  

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Uwais (9 months old) receives his nOPV2 vaccination while his mother, Lita (22), holds him steady and his sister, Balqis (4), watches attentively. Despite initial reluctance stemming from her husband's concerns, Lita ultimately decided to vaccinate her children against polio thanks to the persuasive efforts of Minah, Noneng, and the health cadres of Sinargalih Village. On 5 April 2023, Uwais and Balqis received their first-ever vaccinations, ensuring their protection against polio. 

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In the sweltering heat of Purwakarta, a team of midwives and health cadres from Sinargalih Village ventured out to visit a group of mothers and children who were spending time together. Undeterred by the challenging conditions, these health workers made it their mission to ensure that every child in the community received their polio vaccination. With their friendly and approachable demeanour, the midwives and health cadres engaged with the parents and kids, providing them with the information and resources they needed to stay healthy and protected.  

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Meet Noneng Jamilah (left) and Minah (right), two village midwives in West Java who are working tirelessly to ensure that every child in their community has access to life-saving vaccines. Noneng, who has been working at the Puskesmas since 2012, emphasises the importance of health workers checking the vaccination status of patients who visit for regular check-ups. She administers necessary vaccines like the polio vaccine on the spot if needed. Noneng also takes special care to ensure the comfort of children with disabilities during the vaccination process. 

Minah, on the other hand, has been serving her community since 2006 and believes that working closely with health cadres and RT (Rukun Tetangga/Neighbourhood Associations), and conducting home visits are the most effective strategies to ensure that every child receives the vaccines they need. She emphasises the importance of working collaboratively with village officials to ensure the smooth implementation of vaccination programmes. Despite the challenges that arise from vaccine-hesitant parents who reject and intimidate them, both Noneng and Minah remain committed to providing healthcare services to their community. 

Both midwives also emphasise the importance of the Puskesmas’ monthly outreach programme to villages, covering a wide range of topics from immunisation to stunting. They mention the records kept in SIP books and how healthcare workers would check the records regularly before conducting home visits to children who may have missed their immunizations.  

Noneng (33), midwife of Tegaldatar Village, wears an END POLIO NOW pin on her backpack whilst assisting Minah (41), midwife of Sinargalih Village, in their efforts to eradicate polio in Purwakarta.  

Noneng and Minah worked together to administer vaccines to children during their door-to-door home visits. 

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Umar (4) and his mother Novi Handayani (27) show their polio vaccination card after they receive gifts from the Posyandu for receiving the vaccination in Posyandu Hapsari 2, Bandung, 6 April 2023. 

"I came to the Posyandu because of my awareness of my child's development. I think, the Posyandu's monthly monitoring of my child's development is very good." said Novi. Novi received information about polio vaccination directly from the Posyandu cadre. Novi just learned about polio when giving Umar a vaccine at Posyandu Hapsari 2 - she admits that she did not seek information beforehand. Posyandu is Novi's primary source of information for receiving information about health and child development. 

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The first Posyandu location at Bungursari Village, Purwakarta, was in a hallway of a mosque. The local government provides support in responding to the polio outbreak by conducting cross-sectoral socialisation in the district and cross-OPD (Organisasi Perangkat Daerah/Regional Government Organisation) to support Puskesmas in implementing the SUB PIN Polio programme. Various corporate social responsibility (CSR) programmes also help with additional food and gifts for children who receive vaccines. In addition, hospitals provide vaccine carriers to health centres that lack them. 

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Benjamin (2) receives nOPV2 polio vaccine as his mother, Anggi, holds him steady on her lap. Nur Elah, the village chief, stated that there were no challenges in providing the polio vaccine because of the high awareness level of the village community. One way to help increase awareness is through polio socialisation.  

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Midwives, health cadres, the village chief, and other health workers en-route to the next Posyandu post, located inside a gated housing complex in Bungursari Village on 7 April 2023. Setting up two Posyandu spots was crucial to ensure that all children in the area receive their polio vaccination that day and maintain accessibility to everyone in the village.  

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Maryam Ulfah, village midwife of Bungursari Village, administers the polio vaccine with precision and care. Health cadres, Nur Elah, the village chief, and Dr Eva Lystia, Head of Disease Prevention and Control Division of Purwakarta Health Department, observe attentively, ensuring a smooth and successful vaccination process for the community in Bungursari Village, Purwakarta, on 7 April 2023.  

According to Dr Eva, to ensure that the polio vaccination programme reaches all children, the Purwakarta Health Department collects daily data from the Puskesmas and evaluates which areas have reached the target and which ones have not. They then provide feedback to the health centres and conduct a sweeping activity if necessary. "If there are children who have not been vaccinated due to illness, we will wait until they recover before vaccinating them during the sweeping activity," Dr. Eva explained. 

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