Sawah Besar starts polio vaccinations

JAKARTA: Sawah Besar subdistrict in Central Jakarta has started immunizing 6,600 babies in the area against polio ahead of schedule after an infant tested positive for the virus there this month.

The administration's original schedule for the two rounds of vaccinations was for May 31 and June 28.

District head Suprihatin called on parents not to be reluctant to take their children to nearby health posts to get the polio antivirus.

"I have also instructed all subdistrict heads to monitor the progress of the massive vaccination program in the area to ensure that all the children are immunized," she said as quoted by Beritajakarta.com.

Last week, a 20-month-old baby, Selvi, was confirmed to be suffering from polio in the area. --JP