Australia supports RI's antipolio drive

JAKARTA: Australia has announced that it will provide A$1 million and a technical expert to help Indonesia in its polio immunization campaign, the Australian embassy in Jakarta announced.

"Australia's contribution, provided through the World Health Organization (WHO), is helping cover the operational costs of administering the vaccine. We are working closely with all levels of the Indonesian Government and UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund) to respond to the outbreak and have provided an expert in immunization logistics, Ms Ann Kempe, to work with WHO in Jakarta," Australian Ambassador to Indonesia David Ritchie said in a press release.

Last week, Ambassador Ritchie took part in the house-to-house polio immunization campaign in South Jakarta.

"The Australian Government's latest contribution (A$1 million) to help prevent the spread of polio in Indonesia is evidence of our continuing close bilateral relationship," Ritchie said during his house-to-house visit.

Australia has long supported immunization campaigns in Indonesia. Since 1995, over A$2.5 million has been contributed to the mass vaccination of children in various Indonesian provinces. The campaigns have included polio and measles vaccination together with Vitamin A supplementation. -- JP