City ready for polio immunization

City ready for polio immunization

Dyah Apsari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Cuddling her two-year daughter, Siti Rohani walks slowly toward
the stage after the host invites her to share her story with the
audience.

In a trembling voice, Siti tells the audience what happened
to her beloved daughter Silvy.

"Can you imagine how shattered I was when I saw my daughter
who used to run elatedly to greet me whenever I came home
suddenly crippled. She can't even move from her bed. When I took
her to the doctor, it was too late. Now she has to use a
wheelchair for the rest of her life," Siti says with teary eyes.

Silvy, who is from Sukabumi, West Java, one of the areas
plagued by polio early this year, contracted the water-born
disease in March 2005, when the polio virus resurfaced after a
10-year absence in Indonesia.

The recurrence of polio has prompted the government and world
organizations, including the United Nations Children's Fund
(UNICEF) and the World Health Organization (WHO), to organize a
nationwide polio immunization drive in the country.

The first round would take place on Tuesday, while the second
will be held in late September.

Siti was invited on Monday to speak before UNICEF and WHO
representatives, national celebrities and officials from the
Ministry of Health to highlight the importance of the polio
vaccination.

The most recent report stated that 266 polio cases have been
found in the country since March.

Health ministry officials, UNICEF and WHO are trying to
involve all elements of society to fight the disease by
campaigning on the importance of children under five receiving
the polio vaccination.

Celebrities including Christine Hakim, Ferry Salim, Dian
Nitami, Lula Kamal, Soraya Haque, Novita Angie, Asti Ananta were
just some of artists attending Monday's champaign.

The actors will stay at several immunization posts in Greater
Jakarta to attract people from surrounding neighborhoods to join
the program.

"As celebrities we have a special responsibility in helping
the government purge polio. This is a national crisis that
threatens the future of our children," said Ferry Salim, a soap
opera actor who has been appointed as a UNICEF goodwill
ambassador for Indonesia.

Meanwhile, community health center officers said on Monday
that they were ready to support the campaign. "We have received
sufficient vaccine and will start administering it at 6 a.m. on
Tuesday," said Penjaringan II community health center head Conny.

She explained that mothers of 6,110 children under five in her
area could take their children to 24 posts in the area. "We
retrained local health post volunteers on the procedures this
afternoon," she added.

However, since more than 6,000 people under her jurisdiction
have moved due to a fire, her officers might record a lower
number of children.

Separately, head of a community health center in Krukut,
Depok, complained that the number of officers working in her area
might not be enough. "In the last operation, our five officers
had to spend more than a week campaigning door to door for
parents to have their children," she said.

However, despite the lack of human resources, the center
declared itself ready to support the national campaign.

The nation-wide polio immunization drive will be held
simultaneously across the nation on Aug. 30 and Sept. 27.
Government officials stated that besides being held at hospitals,
community health centers and health posts, it will also take
place in public places such as bus stations, train stations and
schools.

The government estimates as many as 24.6 million children
nationwide would be immunized on Tuesday. (003)