Polio could be 'eradicated next year'

Tb. Arie Rukmantara, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

After carrying out what it describes as two successful rounds of polio vaccinations, the government is optimistic Indonesia will return to polio-free status next year.

That optimism is also shared by the World Health Organization, Minister of Health Siti Fadilah Supari said on Tuesday during a new conference to mark National Health Day, which fell on Nov. 12.

"That statement does not come from my mouth. I was quoting WHO leaders in Geneva who told me that based on Indonesia's performance in fighting the disease, the country would be polio- free by March next year," she said.

The WHO, she added, had suggested that Indonesia hold an extra round of vaccinations in March 2006.

"This would be an additional round of vaccinations, following the third round planned for later this month," the minister said.

She said the third round of the national vaccination campaign was scheduled for Nov. 30 and was targeting about 23.4 million children across the country.

About 22.9 million children were vaccinated during the second round of the drive in October. During the first round, about 22.2 million children were vaccinated.

"I encourage parents to have their children vaccinated again during these future vaccination rounds," Siti said.

She said the third round of the program would cost about US$12 million, more than 60 percent of which would come from foreign donors.

The WHO and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), along with Rotary International, have actively been involved in the government's efforts to eradicate polio, which reemerged in Indonesia in March after being absent for a decade.

As of October, at least 269 Indonesian children under the age of five in 10 provinces have contracted the disease this year.

The executive director of the Coalition for a Healthy Indonesia, Tom Malik, said the goal of eradicating polio in the country by next year could only be achieved if the next rounds of the vaccination drive were able to overcome logistical and information problems.

"It is a difficult task to assure that the vaccinations cover all areas throughout the country at the same time. Moreover, some parents are still afraid to take their children to the vaccination posts because of the side effects they may have after being vaccinated," he told The Jakarta Post.

Tom urged the health ministry to make more of an effort to educate the public about the vaccinations and to reassure them that the vaccinations do not harm the children.

"The ministry has done a good job of broadcasting social service ads. It should continue this work and it should disseminate more information to remote areas," he said.

The government has said the third round of vaccinations would have a special focus on provinces like North Maluku, Papua and West Irian Jaya, where the first two rounds reached less than 90 percent of targeted children.