Anti-polio drive exceeds target

JAKARTA (JP): The polio immunization drive exceeded 100 percent of its target here Tuesday, an official at the city's health agency said.

The drive vaccinated 969,833 children, five years and under, or 101.9 percent of the 951,900 infants targeted, the agency's public relations officer, Mariani, said yesterday.

The agency's head, Asman Lasman, said earlier that this year's projections would be more accurate than last year's, when the government launched its first anti-polio drive for infants.

Last year, 980,304 infants were vaccinated, or 105 percent of the agency's projection. This caused vaccine shortages at immunization centers.

Mariani told The Jakarta Post that the higher-than-expected figure may have come from immunization centers at bus terminals, train stations and the airport which all serve passengers from outside the city.

"Although we record the number of infants in each province, it is the responsibility of each immunization post to provide the vaccine to any passing infant," she said.

The post at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport vaccinated 146 infants, she said, quoting reports from the health agency's West Jakarta office.

Details on the number of foreigners vaccinated are available at the agency's district offices.

Anticipation of extra vaccinations has improved, she said: "None of the posts ran out of vaccine because we provided up to 25 percent more than the projected supply required."

Asman said that 146,320 containers of vaccine were supplied for this year's drive. Each container holds vaccine for up to 20 infants, he said.

The number of children vaccinated may increase on Oct. 15, the second day of this year's anti-polio drive, but Mariani doubted that the increase would be significant.

The anti-polio drive aims to eradicate polio by the year 2000. The third round will be held next year. (anr)