Government plans more polio drive

Government plans more polio drive

Tb. Arie Rukmantara, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta

The government said on Friday that the third nationwide polio
vaccinations were a success, and expressed optimism that the
crippling disease could be completely eradicated by carrying out
two additional mass vaccinations next year.

Minister of Health Siti Fadilah Supari said that the third
round vaccination program done in November had successfully
vaccinated 97.9 percent of the targeted 23.6 million children
under five across the country.

"We have seen an increase of 882,790 children taking part in
the last national polio vaccination drive," she told the media at
her office in Jakarta, while unveiling the progress report of the
government's polio vaccination campaign.

The first and second nationwide polio immunization was carried
out in August and September, respectively, with success rates of
95 percent and 97.7 percent.

The report of the third round immunization program shows that
16 provinces vaccinated 100 percent of the targeted children and
14 provinces, including Jakarta, recorded between 90 percent to
98 percent success rates.

However, Fadilah expressed concerns over three provinces with
vaccination rates under 90 percent - North Maluku with 86.4
percent, West Irian Jaya (73.8 percent) and Papua (50.3 percent).

"Since we could have not been able to achieve the maximum
target of 100 percent plus the fact that some areas still have
low vaccination rates, we will definitely hold another two rounds
of the campaign in late January and late February," she said.

She explained that the campaign would cost Rp 230 billion, of
which 80 percent would be financed by the 2006 state budget,
while the remainder was expected to come from donors.

"Hopefully our international partners, such as the World
Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children Fund
(UNICEF), as well as other international organizations will cover
the remaining 20 percent," she reiterated.

WHO Indonesia representative Georg Peterson believed that the
next rounds of national vaccinations would stop polio in the
country and it would help his organization to achieve the target
to halt global polio transmission by the middle of 2006.

"Most likely, world polio transmission would be stopped in
June 2006," he said.

"Unfortunately, a low level of virus circulation are being
spotted in several areas here. That's why international experts
have recommended the Indonesian government to continue with
another two rounds of vaccinations."

Polio reemerged in the country in April of this year after
having been eradicated a decade ago. There have been nearly 300
polio cases officially confirmed since the reemergence of the
water-borne disease.

UNICEF Indonesia's Gianfranco Rotigliano praised the
government's efforts, saying that Indonesia had done better than
other countries to fight polio.

"The situation in Indonesia looks quite well and it is very
unlikely, if we keep vaccinating, there will be polio again," he
said.

However, Peterson warned that after the January and February
vaccination programs, routine polio vaccination aiming at new-
born babies should be strengthened.

"Should no transmission of polio be found two years after
2006, Indonesia could regain its status as a free-polio country,"
he told The Jakarta Post.

A Health Ministry official said Indonesia, the world's fourth
most populous country with over 230 million people, has 5 million
births annually.