Progress toward poliomyelitis eradication–Indonesia, 1995

In 1988, Indonesia (1991 population: 181 million) adopted the goal of eradicating poliomyelitis by the year 2000. Although routine coverage with three doses or oral poliovirus vaccine (OPV3) has been >90% among 1-year-old children since 1991, cases of polio continue to be reported. To interrupt poliovirus transmission, National Immunization Days (NIDs) were conducted during September 13-17 and October 18-22, 1995, resulting in vaccination of >22 million children aged <5 years (representing approximately 100% of the target population). NIDs are planned for September 10-14 and October 15-19, 1996, and in 1997. This report presents the polio surveillance data for Indonesia for 1995, which indicate that substantial improvements are necessary to meet the objectives of the polio-eradication initiative. Activities are under way to intensify surveillance for acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) and to identify the remaining reservoirs of wild poliovirus transmission.