More than 500 homeless kids get polio vaccination
More than 500 homeless kids get polio vaccination
JAKARTA (JP): As many as 528 children from homeless families
in Central Jakarta were vaccinated against polio yesterday.
In the second round of the National Immunization Program the
city administration made a mobile vaccination unit available for
beggars and homeless families living in the vicinity of Jl.
Tongkang in Central Jakarta.
The first round of the immunization campaign, which aims to
vaccinate all children under five years of age, took place on
Sept. 13.
Governor Surjadi Soedirdja said that the provision of the
mobile unit is aimed at assisting health workers to do their job.
The immunization of the homeless children was the governor's
idea.
"Children in the city, including those of homeless families,
deserve the vaccination," the governor said two days before the
second round of the drive started.
The mobile vaccination unit was one of 9,546 posts established
by the city administration for the second round of the
immunization program.
The second round is targeting the children who were vaccinated
during the first round, since a complete vaccination requires two
doses.
The city vaccination command post reported that by 5 p.m.
yesterday a total of 741,943 children, or 79.9 percent of the
target set by the health ministry, had been immunized.
No less than 120,747 children received the vaccination in
Central Jakarta yesterday, while 63,219 children were vaccinated
in North Jakarta and 202,800 were vaccinated in West Jakarta.
South and East Jakarta saw the vaccination of 230,395 and 124,782
children respectively.
In the first round about 921,645 Jakarta children were
immunized, representing 99.3 percent of the target.
The first round used up 59,515 bottles of polio vaccine. Each
bottle contains enough vaccine for 15 children.
The government plans to hold a polio immunization drive every
three years in an effort to eradicate polio from the country.
The city's immunization program was observed by Mrs. Tuti Try
Sutrisno, the wife of Vice President Try Sutrisno, and Mrs. Yogie
S. Memet, chairwoman of the National Family Welfare Movement.
They visited several immunization posts in the city, including
those at the FKPPI health clinic on Jl. Trikora, East Jakarta,
the Community Health Center on Jl. Ragunan, South Jakarta, and
RCTI on Jl. Raya Pejuangan, West Jakarta. (yns)