Australia supports RI's antipolio drive

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