RI polio-free, says health minister

RI polio-free, says health minister

JAKARTA: Indonesia has been free from the polio virus since 1995 but the World Health Organization (WHO) has not yet given the country a polio-free certificate, health minister Achmad Sujudi said.

The WHO has recommended that Indonesia hold a National Vaccination Program (PIN) on Sept. 12 and Oct. 9 for about 20.8 million children below the age of five, Sujudi said during a meeting of the Coordinating Body for Public Relations here on Tuesday.

Indonesia carried out similar programs in 1995, 1996 and 1997. The recommendation by WHO was made because South Asian countries such as India, Pakistan and Afghanistan are still not polio-free, the minister said.

Sujudi said Indonesia, with the help of the International Red Cross, would implement the National Vaccination Program in conflict areas such as Aceh, Ambon and Poso in Central Sulawesi.

The vaccination program will cost Rp 104 billion, Rp 43 billion of which will come from the state budget and Rp 61 billion from grants from the WHO, the United Nations Children's Fund, Australia Aid, USAid and Rotary International. --Antara