PORTALJABAR, BANDUNG CITY - The Bandung City Health Office (Dinkes) is accelerating efforts to reduce the number of zero-dose children or children who have not received immunizations through the implementation of Catch-up Immunization Month (BIK) throughout October 2026.

The catch-up immunization program will be implemented simultaneously from October 1 to 31, 2026, as part of efforts to achieve the 2026 immunization program target while providing optimal protection to children from Immunization-Preventable Diseases (PD3I).

The Head of the Bandung City Health Office, Sony Adam, said that accelerating immunization is necessary to increase immunization coverage, especially for children who have not received immunizations or whose immunization status is incomplete.

"In order to achieve the 2026 immunization program target, namely reducing the number of zero-dose children, children who have not been immunized, and providing optimal protection for children from vaccine-preventable diseases or PD3I," said Sony at Bandung City Hall, Monday, October 5, 2026.

According to Sony, the catch-up immunization program for the 2026 National Health Day (HKN) will be implemented over a longer period. While the previous "Sepekan Mengejar Immunisasi (PENARI)" (Immunization Catch-up Week) program lasted one week, this year's HKN program has been expanded to a full month across Indonesia.

The extension of this period aims to provide wider opportunities for the public to obtain immunization services and increase the coverage of complete immunization in children.

In Bandung City, the main targets of BIK are infants aged 0–11 months and children under two years old (baduta) aged 12–23 months who have never received immunization or have an incomplete immunization status according to the program's immunization schedule.

In its implementation, the Health Office prioritizes administering the first dose of DPT-HB-Hib or hexavalent immunization. However, children who have missed other routine immunizations will still receive them according to the program's immunization schedule.

To more optimally target children, the Bandung City Health Office is conducting active outreach through tracking with community health centers in each region. This ensures that children who have not yet received immunizations can be identified and receive the services they need.

"Actively identifying and reaching out to targets through tracking in collaboration with regional community health centers," said Sony.

These efforts are strengthened through coordination with various regional and community elements, including community health centers (Puskesmas UPTD), sub-district heads, village heads, sub-district and village PKK (Family Welfare Movement) groups, health cadres, Family Support Teams (TPK), Community Empowerment Centers (PLKB), religious leaders, community leaders, and various regional stakeholders.

This coordination is carried out to encourage the community to bring children who are the target of immunization to the immunization service post.

In addition to active outreach, the Health Office also encourages community mobilization by involving cross-program and cross-sector partners. Immunization services are also optimized through integrated health posts (Posyandu), additional immunization posts, sub-health centers (Puskesmas Pembantu), and coordination with government and private primary health care facilities.

The Health Office is also strengthening communication, information, and education regarding the importance of catch-up immunization. Outreach is being conducted through various community-facing channels, including social media, banners, neighborhood association (RT/RW) WhatsApp groups, and mobile broadcasts in each region.

To ensure optimal implementation, the Bandung City Health Office, through the P2P Division of the Surveillance and Immunization Team, conducts daily monitoring of immunization achievements at each community health center.

This monitoring will also be accompanied by technical coordination and periodic evaluations during the catch-up immunization program through October 2026. (Bandung City Communications and Information Service/rka)