Banda Aceh, Aceh (ANTARA) - Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin requested the implementation of the Polio National Immunization Sub Week in Aceh to be completed within a month, with a total target of 1.2 million children in the area.
"I ask the governor to finish the immunization within a month for 1.2 million children under 12 years old in Aceh," he noted during the launch of the Polio National Immunization Sub Week here, Monday.
The program will be implemented in Aceh following an Extraordinary Event (KLB) of a type two polio case detected in Mane, Pidie District. Until now, four cases of polio in Aceh are receiving medical treatment at the Dr Zainoel Abidin Hospital.
Previously, the early stages of the Polio National Immunization Sub Week had begun in Pidie since November 28, 2022. Until now, some 72,726 children, or 79.49 percent of the target of 91,484 children in Pidie, have received polio immunization.
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"Especially for Pidie, there are 91 thousand targets. We are trying to finish it this week. After that we will move to 22 other districts and cities," he remarked.
Sadikin stated that the World Health Organization (WHO) proclaimed a world free of polio in 2026. In fact, Indonesia was already free from polio since 2014 and had received certification from the WHO.
However, polio cases began re-emerging in the country. Apart from Indonesia, polio cases have reappeared in three other countries -- the United States, the United Kingdom, and Israel -- after being declared polio-free by WHO.
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"Polio cases in Aceh were caused by the uneven distribution of immunization, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our immunization for children under 12 years old is still not perfect," the minister pointed out.
Meanwhile, Aceh Acting Governor Achmad Marzuki stated that polio immunization in his region targets children up to 12 years of age throughout Aceh, with a total target of 1.2 million children.
"I urge all regions to seriously implement this program to achieve at least 95 percent of the target set by the central government," Marzuki added.
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