Antipolio drive targets 972,000 Jakartans

JAKARTA (JP): The city's five mayoralties took part yesterday in the first stage of the third nationwide antipolio drive. More than 972,000 children under five years old were targeted in the capital.

Governor Surjadi Soedirdja kicked off the drive in a ceremony where he gave the first vaccine to one-year-old Farah, the granddaughter of South Jakarta Mayor Pardjoko at Cilandak health training center in South Jakarta.

Also attending the ceremony were City Council Speaker Edi Waluyo and two representatives of the United Nations Development Program.

Surjadi said that the organizing committee had provided 66,832 bottles of vaccine. "So don't worry. There are enough supplies for everyone," he said. Each bottle contains 20 doses.

Besides polio, the organizing committee also provided tetanus and chicken pox vaccinations in 68 subdistricts where infants were considered to be at particular risk from the diseases.

This year's tetanus toxoid vaccinations also targeted 372,885 female Jakarta residents aged between 15 and 39.

"It is important for women to get the immunization because they are future mothers," Surjadi said.

According to official data, 311,167 children had received polio vaccinations by noon. Surjadi said the immunization posts would stay open as long as was necessary.

Surjadi hoped that this year's target could be met as the city had prepared better than last year. "This year we've got help from doctors and nurses as well as from many agencies linked to health activities," he said.

Governor said the immunization posts were located in strategic places such as hospitals, community health centers, marketplaces, hotels and restaurants.

Therefore, he stressed that there was no reason for under- fives not to get the vaccine.

"All children must get the immunization and please don't turn down children from other areas who come to get it because we have enough supplies," he told the officers involved in administering the drug.

The second round of this year's vaccination will be on Oct. 7. The free service is part of the government's national campaign, launched in 1995, to eradicate polio.

Five hundred bottles of all three vaccines were supplied to Cilincing, North Jakarta. The mayoralty was targeting 122,284 children.

The vaccination drive in Cilincing was kicked off by Rini Sutiyoso, the chairwoman of the Kartika Chandra Kirana organization.

She said that such vaccinations were important for every child.

"Children under five are very susceptible to these kinds of diseases," she said.

Rini, who is the wife of Jakarta Military Commander Maj. Gen. Sutiyoso, also reminded mothers to bring their children again on Oct. 7 for the second vaccination.

About 489,446 children were targeted in the Tangerang Mayoralty and Regency. In the Tangerang regency there were 3,023 posts across the city.

Tangerang Mayor H. Djakaria Machmud launched the immunization program yesterday at one of the city's posts in Bugel subdistrict, while Tangerang Regent H. Saifullah AR gave the first vaccine in Rawa Mekar Jaya, Serpong. (07/41)