Samban as a complementary immunization in dayak pitap tribe in Indonesia (A preliminary study)

The low uptake of fully immunized children in Dayak Pitap tribe has a probability to be caused by the community belief about the sources of illnesses which are natural causes, spirit of ancestor causes, shamanism causes, breaking taboos causes and other supra natural causes rather than biomedical ones. This belief therefore has an implication on the initiatives that they use to prevent illness including the use of a samban for their children. However, the savor of samban that is believed by the community members not just a superstition. It has a role in develop well functioning immune system and make a child in the Dayak Pitap tribe physically healthy because immune system need support from psychosocialcultural construct to perform well functioning immune system and a samban play a role in this construct. Furthermore a samban also play a role in building the mental and social construct to developed what WHO determine as health is well being. This qualitative preliminary study was conducted in Dayak Pitap indigenous tribe in Balangan District, South Kalimantan Province, Indonesia. Dayak Pitap tribe is one of tribe in Dayak Meratus or Dayak Bukit tribe family in South Kalimantan who settle down throughout the Meratus highlands in South and East Kalimantan Province. The aim of this paper is to describe and discuss the concept of the samban that can be considered as complementary immunization in Dayak Pitap tribe, South Kalimantan Province in Indonesia.