In response to conspiracy theories surrounding the vaccine, health officials in Jakarta said the late-stage trial of a tuberculosis ( TB ) vaccine supported by Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates is safe and will benefit Indonesians.
Following Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto’s notes following his appointment with American billionaire and Gates in Indonesia on May 7, discussion broke out, including rumours and misinformation about the M72/AS01E immunization applicant.
Prabowo claimed that Indonesia may be “one of the places to check” the vaccine and that Gates was “developing a TB vaccination for the earth.”
The leader praised Gates ‘ contributions to the nation, noting that his base has given more than US$ 159 million in grants since 2009, primarily for health programs.
Nevertheless, in the midst of Prabowo’s remarks, some internet users expressed doubts about Indonesia being the “testing surface” for the vaccination candidate. They questioned Gates ‘ intentions and why it was just being tested in “poor places.”
Indonesia is the only nation outside of Africa to participate in the test.
INDONESIAN Government ARE SAFE: VACCINE CANDIDATE IS SAFE
Indonesians will be among the first to receive the TB vaccine as a result of participating in the trial, according to Taruna Ikrar, head of the nation’s Food and Drug Supervisory Agency ( BPOM), on Wednesday ( May 14 ).
He claimed that vaccination is one of the country’s best ways to lower the occurrence of TB. The estimated incidence of TB in Indonesia was 387 per 100,000 people in 2023, according to the World Health Organization ( WHO ).
Indonesia experiences more than 1 million TB cases annually, and it is thought that, after India, Indonesia will have the second-highest range of TB cases in the world in 2023.
According to the WHO’s Global TB Report 2024, it accounted for 10 % of an estimated 10.8 million cases globally in 2023. According to Taruna, Indonesia recorded about 125, 000 TB murders in 2023.
TB is an airborne viral disease that is mainly affecting the lungs caused by a pathogen called Mycobacterium tuberculosis. If left unattended, it can trigger lung injury or death.