[Mb-civic] In Indonesia, Rumors Imperil Anti-Polio Bid - Washington Post

[William Swiggard]

In Indonesia, Rumors Imperil Anti-Polio Bid
24 Million Children Set to Be Immunized Tuesday

By Alan Sipress
Washington Post Foreign Service
Saturday, August 27, 2005; Page A10

DEPOK, Indonesia -- As a longtime health volunteer in the narrow alleys 
of her hillside neighborhood, Ebon Sunarti has focused on corralling 
other women into the local clinic so their toddlers could be vaccinated 
against a range of childhood diseases.

But when polio broke out in her province this year and the government 
launched a regional campaign to immunize all children under 5, this 
tough-minded mother held her own 3-year-old daughter back after seeing 
spurious television reports that the vaccine had made many youngsters 
sick, even killing a few.

Researchers and regulators are reshaping the landscape of science, 
medicine and health, engendering hope -- and disquiet -- for the future 
of humanity.

"This is my mother's heart. I have to be so careful," explained Sunarti, 
35, her brown eyes warm but adamant.

With polio now spreading faster in Indonesia than anywhere else, U.N. 
health experts and local officials are struggling to counter rumors that 
the vaccine is harmful, and to contain the outbreak before the coming 
rainy season turns it into a full-blown epidemic.

The next test comes Tuesday when Indonesia plans to immunize 24 million 
children under 5. If the nationwide drive succeeds, it could turn back 
polio at its farthest frontier since the disease erupted in Nigeria two 
years ago. But if it fails, international health experts warn, the 
outbreak could spill over Indonesia's borders to other East Asian 
countries, dealing a setback to global efforts to eradicate the illness.

"What we have now is a looming crisis," said David Hipgrave, UNICEF's 
chief for health and nutrition in Indonesia.

The country had been polio-free for a decade until a traveler from the 
Middle East brought it to Indonesia's main island of Java early this 
year. The disease has now spread from the Java mountains to the nearby 
island of Sumatra and north to the capital, Jakarta, infecting at least 
226 people.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/26/AR2005082601545.html?referrer=email
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