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)