Adiva did not expect her 9-month-old child to contract measles amid\nthe spreading outbreak. Initial symptoms appeared a day after Eid when\nher usually active child suddenly became sullen, fussy, and developed a\nfever of 38.6 degrees Celsius.<\/p>\n
Initially, Adiva thought the condition was just due to fatigue and\nexposure to crowds during Eid. She and her husband had even tried to\nkeep their child from physical contact with others. However, after\ntemporarily subsiding with paracetamol, the child\u2019s condition worsened\nafter the return journey.<\/p>\n
\u201cReturning to Jakarta, that\u2019s when there were signs that Adik had\nmeasles. The fever went up and down to 40 degrees for four days, cough,\nrunny nose, vomiting, diarrhoea. My husband and I immediately went to\nthe nearest community health centre, and Adik was diagnosed positive for\nmeasles,\u201d Adiva told detikX last week.<\/p>\n
Before the infection, her child had not yet received the measles\nvaccine because she had just turned nine months old during Eid.\nVaccination can only be given after that age. According to her, the\ndoctor explained that the vaccination delay was not due to parental\nnegligence, but rather the child\u2019s age not yet meeting the\nrequirements.<\/p>\n
After the child was confirmed positive, health workers required home\nisolation for two weeks. She was also warned to avoid contact with other\nchildren to prevent virus spread, especially when the rash began to\nappear.<\/p>\n
Adiva suspects the source of transmission points to one of her\nrelative\u2019s children who had just recovered from measles. Three days\nafter recovering, her nephew hugged Adiva\u2019s baby.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s undeniable, the measles virus is frightening,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Although medical services were generally deemed adequate, Adiva\nadmitted to facing serious obstacles in the referral process. After\nbeing referred from the community health centre to the hospital, she had\nto wait for hours for blood tests, X-rays, and an isolation room to\nbecome available.<\/p>\n
After that, her baby finally received intensive treatment in the\nemergency department. This experience led Adiva to assess that vigilance\nagainst measles transmission needs to be expanded, not only from general\ncrowds but also from contact with individuals who have just recovered\nfrom infection.<\/p>\n
Adiva\u2019s child is not alone. The Ministry of Health states that the\nspread of measles in Indonesia remains a serious threat. Ministry data\nshows around 2,220 weekly cases in the first week of 2026. Although it\ndropped to 334 cases in week 15, the government emphasises that local\nsurges in several areas remain potential and must be responded to\nquickly.<\/p>\n
Acting Director General of Disease Control and Prevention at the\nMinistry of Health, Dr Andi Saguni, mentioned that the increase in cases\nfrom late 2025 to early 2026 was mainly triggered by two main factors.\nBoth are incomplete immunisation coverage and high community\nmobility.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe main causes of the increase in measles cases are first\nimmunisation, and second, mobility,\u201d Andi told detikX.<\/p>\n
According to the Ministry of Health, measles is not a disease heavily\ninfluenced by seasons, but the pattern of increases often occurs at the\nend and beginning of the year when mobility increases. Such as long\nholidays, school entrances, or Eid homecoming. In this condition,\ninfected children can accelerate spread when moving between regions.<\/p>\n
Nationally, the measles-rubella immunisation coverage for the first\ndose (MR1) in 2024 reached 92 percent, while the second dose (MR2) was\n78.3 percent. In 2025, those figures declined to 82 percent for MR1 and\n77 percent for MR2. This decline is seen as directly correlating with\nthe increase in cases.<\/p>\n
The national target is actually 95 percent for MR1 and at least 80\npercent for MR2, with encouragement towards equivalent coverage to form\noptimal herd immunity.<\/p>\n
In case management, the government emphasises strengthening tiered\nsurveillance from community health centres, hospitals, districts\/cities,\nto the central level to detect cases earlier. Every identified case will\nbe followed by patient tracking, evaluation of care needs, contact\nrestrictions with others, and education to the public on clean and\nhealthy living behaviours as additional prevention steps.<\/p>\n
Although measles in many cases is self-limiting or can heal on its\nown, the Ministry of Health warns that this disease can become dangerous\nwhen complications arise, such as pneumonia or malnutrition conditions,\nwhich can increase the risk of death. Therefore, vaccination remains\nviewed as the most effective prevention tool, while controlling close\ncontacts in the community is deemed much more difficult due to the high\npopulation mobility.<\/p>\n
In areas with high case surges, the government implements an\nagglomeration approach, namely a handling response not only focused on\naffected areas but also surrounding regions through catch-up\nimmunisation, strict monitoring, and education to suppress\ninter-regional spread.<\/p>\n
Through this strategy, Indonesia targets measles elimination by 2030.\nThis effort relies on stable vaccine availability, consistent\ndistribution, and increased public trust in immunisation. Nationally,\nthe most infected group so far is individuals who have never received\nthe measles vaccine at all or have not completed the two recommended\ndoses.<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, increases in measles cases in several areas still\noccur. Data shows that low immunisation coverage remains the most\ndominant factor in the spread of this highly contagious disease. Data\nfrom Garut Regency and Aceh Province illustrate how vaccination gaps\nover the past few years have contributed to surging cases.<\/p>\n
In Garut Regency, up to the end of April, there were 110 positive\nmeasles cases, a sharp increase compared to a total of 32 cases\nthroughout the previous year. Cases are spread across around 36\nsub-districts, with nearly half concentrated in Pamengpeuk, Cibalong,\nand Cikelet\u2014areas said to have lower immunisation achievement compared\nto others.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/struggling-against-the-measles-outbreak-1777294326", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }