Indonesia to intensify polio vaccinations to reach target: minister

JAKARTA (AFP) — Indonesia will intensify its drive against polio to ensure the target of vaccinating all 24.3 million children aged under five in the vast nation is reached, Health Minister Siti Fadillah Supari said.

As of Thursday only about 80 percent of the targeted children had been vaccinated, Supari said, citing preliminary reports from health workers in all 33 provinces.

The government will carry out door-to-door vaccinations until next Monday to cover the 20 percent of children who were missed, Supari said.

"We will sweep out pockets where statistics shows they fell below the target for the next five days," she told AFP, adding that the final evaluation of the drive should be completed by next Tuesday.

More than 750,000 health workers fanned out across the archipelago Tuesday in a bid to vaccinate every child aged under five against the crippling polio virus, amid fears it ...