Anti-polio campaign successful: Minister<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): More than 90 percent of the 21.8 million
\nchildren under five were vaccinated in the first two days of the
\nmass immunization campaign against polio, and the government has
\ntwo actors to thank for this success.<\/p>\n
Minister of Health Sujudi yesterday told reporters that all
\nthe rhetorics that the government threw at the public to take
\ntheir children along be immunized paled in comparison to the
\ncampaign launched by actors Rano Karno and Mandra in drawing
\npeople to the immunization centers.<\/p>\n
\"Despite what we have said, the public better understood the
\npolio drive after Rano Karno and Mandra went on TV,\" Sujudi said.<\/p>\n
He was referring to the television filler on the anti-polio
\ncampaign played by the stars of the highly popular TV comedy
\ndrama, Si Doel Anak Sekolahan.<\/p>\n
President Soeharto personally launched the campaign on
\nWednesday and by Thursday evening, over 20.5 million children, or
\n95 percent of the total, had been administered the vaccine.<\/p>\n
\"If our coverage is more than 80 percent, this means we have
\ncut the transmission of the disease,\" Sujudi said, \"But we are
\nsafer if we cover 90 percent.\"<\/p>\n
The children will have to return to the immunization center on
\nOct. 18 for their second vaccination. The project is costing a
\ntotal of Rp 45 billion (US$19 million), with funds coming from
\nthe government's budget, donor agencies and private
\ncontributions.<\/p>\n
The immunization campaign is continuing in the regions and
\nremote areas. Officially the immunization centers are open for
\nsix days.<\/p>\n
The government said that it has to achieve a 100 percent ratio
\nto ensure that polio is eliminated once and for all in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Sujudi acknowledges that the final number of children
\nvaccinated may not tally with the data of the under-fives that
\nthe government had at the start of the campaign.<\/p>\n
This, he said, is because of discrepancy in the data and also
\nbecause there have been new births since the data had been
\ncollected. \"We also included children of tourists who have just
\narrived,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Five provinces -- Central Java, Yogyakarta, Bali, East Java
\nand East Nusa Tenggara -- exceeded the 100 percent rate while
\nfour provinces reached less than 70 percent. These are West
\nKalimantan with 63.2 percent, Central Sulawesi with 68.5 percent,
\nIrian Jaya with 60.7 percent and East Timor with 47.1 percent.<\/p>\n
\"The national drive is not final yet, so these figures will
\nchange,\" said Broto Wasisto, the chairman of the national polio
\ndrive committee.<\/p>\n
Yoygakarta, Bali and West Nusa Tenggara managed to complete
\nthe vaccination of all children in one day. (anr)<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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