Polio vaccination begins nationwide
Polio vaccination begins nationwide
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
A volunteer at a health center in Utan Kayu (photo ebove), East
Jakarta, gives a child a pollio vaccine. National Immunization Week
began Thursday, with officials hoping to give some 20 million children
across the country pollio vaccine as well as vitamins.
During the immunization program, the children will also
receive a Vitamin A supplement.
Some 3.5 million children living in isolated areas would also
be immunized against measles.
The second round of the PIN program will be on Oct. 8.
Vice President Hamzah Haz officially inaugurated the program
on Thursday at his official residence on Jl. Diponegoro. The U.S.
Ambassador Ralph L. Boyce also appeared during the launch as the
U.S. government is one of the donors of the program.
The government has 248,599 immunization posts with 5 million
health workers, including 1,320 pediatricians, to serve 20.8
million children under five across the country.
The immunization program will cost some Rp 104 billion, of
which some Rp 61 billion will come via grants from foreign donors
such as WHO, UNICEF, USAID, Rotary International, Aus AID, the
U.S.-based Centers for Disease Control and the Helen Keller
Foundation.
The PIN centers are available at baby health centers
(Posyandu), community health centers (Puskesmas), state-run and
privately-run hospitals, health clinics and strategic places like
bus and train stations, traditional markets, kindergartens and
children's playgrounds.
Some non governmental organizations, especially neighborhood
organizations (PKK), will help conduct the program especially in
the areas of conflict like North Maluku and Aceh.
The North Maluku Health Governor Saleh Latuconsina was quoted
by Antara as saying that the PIN program in the province should
be successful because he did not want a polio outbreak in his
province.
Some 156,000 toddlers from 616 villages in the province would
receive the polio vaccines at 12 health centers and 2,463 PIN
centers.
Separately, the Aceh Health Office head Cut Idawani said that
some 7,553 PIN centers including traditional schools and
airports, would serve 390,338 toddlers in the province. She said
that the volunteers from the Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) would
also help with the program.
Most of the regions reported that their PIN program was
expected to run smoothly, except for West Java's regency of Garut
which requested another 200 bottles of polio vaccines at the last
minute.
Indonesia conducted national polio immunization drives in
1995, 1996 and 1997 which reportedly covered a total of 90
percent of the 25 million children aged under five years at that
time.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Indonesia
had to tackle between 25,000 to 60,000 cases of polio every year
before the polio immunization program. But there have been no
cases of polio reported in Indonesia since 1995.
WHO, however, recommended that Indonesia conduct another round
of polio immunizations in 2002 as the country's neighbors like
India, Afghanistan and Pakistan were still not free from polio.
The country hopes that WHO would declare Indonesia polio-free by
2005.
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
A volunteer at a health center in Utan Kayu (photo ebove), East
Jakarta, gives a child a pollio vaccine. National Immunization Week
began Thursday, with officials hoping to give some 20 million children
across the country pollio vaccine as well as vitamins.
During the immunization program, the children will also
receive a Vitamin A supplement.
Some 3.5 million children living in isolated areas would also
be immunized against measles.
The second round of the PIN program will be on Oct. 8.
Vice President Hamzah Haz officially inaugurated the program
on Thursday at his official residence on Jl. Diponegoro. The U.S.
Ambassador Ralph L. Boyce also appeared during the launch as the
U.S. government is one of the donors of the program.
The government has 248,599 immunization posts with 5 million
health workers, including 1,320 pediatricians, to serve 20.8
million children under five across the country.
The immunization program will cost some Rp 104 billion, of
which some Rp 61 billion will come via grants from foreign donors
such as WHO, UNICEF, USAID, Rotary International, Aus AID, the
U.S.-based Centers for Disease Control and the Helen Keller
Foundation.
The PIN centers are available at baby health centers
(Posyandu), community health centers (Puskesmas), state-run and
privately-run hospitals, health clinics and strategic places like
bus and train stations, traditional markets, kindergartens and
children's playgrounds.
Some non governmental organizations, especially neighborhood
organizations (PKK), will help conduct the program especially in
the areas of conflict like North Maluku and Aceh.
The North Maluku Health Governor Saleh Latuconsina was quoted
by Antara as saying that the PIN program in the province should
be successful because he did not want a polio outbreak in his
province.
Some 156,000 toddlers from 616 villages in the province would
receive the polio vaccines at 12 health centers and 2,463 PIN
centers.
Separately, the Aceh Health Office head Cut Idawani said that
some 7,553 PIN centers including traditional schools and
airports, would serve 390,338 toddlers in the province. She said
that the volunteers from the Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) would
also help with the program.
Most of the regions reported that their PIN program was
expected to run smoothly, except for West Java's regency of Garut
which requested another 200 bottles of polio vaccines at the last
minute.
Indonesia conducted national polio immunization drives in
1995, 1996 and 1997 which reportedly covered a total of 90
percent of the 25 million children aged under five years at that
time.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Indonesia
had to tackle between 25,000 to 60,000 cases of polio every year
before the polio immunization program. But there have been no
cases of polio reported in Indonesia since 1995.
WHO, however, recommended that Indonesia conduct another round
of polio immunizations in 2002 as the country's neighbors like
India, Afghanistan and Pakistan were still not free from polio.
The country hopes that WHO would declare Indonesia polio-free by
2005.