Australia helps fund antipolio drive

JAKARTA: The Australian Embassy here has donated A$1 million to the Ministry of Health to help fund Indonesia's latest polio immunization in Banten, Jakarta and West Java provinces.

Australian Ambassador to Indonesia David Ritchie said that his country had also allocated A$305 million this year to help Indonesia deal with malnutrition.

As the health ministry recorded a lower number of children vaccinated in the second round of the immunization campaign on June 28, it required more operational funds to conduct house-to- house immunizations.

Australia also provides assistance through its immunization logistics expert who has helped the ministry through the World Health Organization.

The health ministry also plans to expand its polio immunization campaign to Central Java, Yogyakarta, Lampung and South Sumatra provinces as early as August to protect at least 12 million children from the paralyzing waterborne virus. --JP