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Govt gives extra polio jabs to 8 million children following recent cases
Some 3.6 million children, or 42 percent of the vaccination target, in East Java, Central Java and Yogyakarta have received the first dose of extra polio vaccine. They are slated to receive the second dose on Jan. 19.
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A health worker administers an oral polio vaccine to an elementary school pupil in Malang, East Java, on Jan. 16, 2024. The Health Ministry kicked off a national immunization week on Monday, aiming to administer polio vaccines to 8.4 million children up to 7 years old in East Java, Central Java and Yogyakarta following the discovery of three new polio cases in the regions. (Antara/Ari Bowo Sucipto)
T
he Health Ministry kick-started this week an immunization campaign of extra polio vaccine doses for millions of children in Central Java, East Java and Yogyakarta following the recent discovery of three polio cases in the regions.
Health authorities will give two additional doses of oral poliovirus vaccine (OPV) type 2 to 8.3 million children younger than 7 years old in East Java and Central Java. The extra doses will also be given to 150,000 children in Yogyakarta following the discovery of polio cases near the province’s border with Central Java.
The recent immunization will act as a booster for children who have completed their primary vaccination series, or a catch-up immunization for those who have not been fully vaccinated.
The ministry requires all babies under one year old to have four doses of OPV, with the first administered shortly after birth, and two jabs of inactivated poliovirus vaccine. They can also receive booster shots after they are older than 18 months.
Health workers in the three provinces started disbursing the extra dose on Monday, while the second dose will be given on Jan. 19. As of Wednesday, 42.6 percent of all targeted children, or some 3.6 million kids, had received their first dose.
"We're seeking to vaccinate at least 95 percent of all targeted children," Health Ministry Disease Control and Prevention Director General Maxi Rein Rondonuwu said in a statement on Monday.
Read also: Govt ramps up polio jabs after new cases in East, Central Java
