REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Health Minister Nila Moeloek said Indonesia must remain alert about the spread of the polio virus to Indonesia. She said that following an outbreak of polio in Papua New Guinea (PNG).

"Indonesia is free of polio. But, of course, it must be careful because in Papua New Guinea an outbreak is taking place," Moeloek said in Jakarta on Tuesday.

Moeloek explained that as many as 70 million children under 15 in Indonesia have been protected from polio. The polio vaccine is given to infants and included as part of a complete basic immunization program.

Director General of Disease Prevention and Control Anung Sugihantono confirmed that there were no cases of polio in Papua Province due to the transmission of the disease from Papua New Guinea. He explained that until now there were seven cases of acute flaccid paralysis that occurred in children in Papua Province. Two cases were reported in the city of Merauke.

Last year, there were also 18 acute faccid paralysis cases that occurred in Papua Province, with two cases in Jayapura City and one case in Merauke City. But Sugihantono confirmed that none of the cases of acute laccid paralysis were caused by polio.

The Ministry of Health pays more attention to polio outbreaks that occur in Papua New Guinea by providing polio immunizations to children in the provinces of Papua and West Papua.

In the ongoing measles and rubella immunization campaign, the administration of MR vaccine in Papua Province is supplemented with the polio vaccine. "As of October 17, immunization in Papua was given with MRP, MR and polio vaccines," said Sugihantono.

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