Govt plans vaccination drive

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

"Aku anak sehat, tubuhku kuat ..." (I'm a healthy, fit child ...)

This almost-forgotten song composed for a past government immunization drive will soon be heard again as the Ministry of Health is planning another national immunization drive called Pekan Imunisasi Nasional (PIN), starting in August.

"Following a recommendation from the World Health Organization, we will carry out the program in several stages," Minister of Health Siti Fadilah Supari said on the sidelines of an inauguration ceremony for new ministry officials on Wednesday.

In the drive, children under the age of five will receive free complete vaccinations at local community health centers (puskesmas) and integrated health service posts (posyandu).

The drive will be a follow-up of the current polio vaccination drive in Banten, Jakarta and West Java provinces after a polio outbreak in Sukabumi in March.

"This program will require more funding than the one carried out in the three provinces," the health minister said, adding that WHO and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) were ready to help.

The last two-round polio vaccination campaign in the three provinces cost around Rp 38 billion to protect 6.4 million children.

The health ministry has also reminded the public about the upcoming second round of polio immunization, set for June 28. "Mothers should not be afraid to take their children to vaccination posts as it is necessary to prevent polio from spreading," she said.

Minister Siti Fadilah also assured the public that the vaccination did not have side effects, as had been reported by a non-governmental organization on health.

Earlier this week, parents and the Legal Institute for Health (LBH Kesehatan) reported cases of post-immunization fatalities to the police and have also filed a lawsuit against the health ministry for supplying what it called bad vaccines.

In response, the health minister said that if an independent investigative team proved the allegation false, the ministry would be ready to countersue. (003)