2.3 Million Indonesian Children Have Never Been Immunised, Hoaxes Are the Culprit
Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia - Concerns about children developing fevers after immunisation once made Nia hesitant to take her three-year-old son, Kenzi, back to the community health post. Even her child’s grandmother suggested stopping the immunisations. However, news of rising measles cases changed her mind.
“Initially, I was scared because he used to get a fever after immunisation. His grandmother even said we shouldn’t do it anymore. But when I heard about the measles, I started thinking about immunising again,” said Nia after bringing Kenzi for his third DPT immunisation at Posyandu Tela 9 in Bandung City on Tuesday (12/5/2026).
Unlike Nia, Mia said she had no doubts about immunising her one-year-old child. She explained that her child has received immunisations since birth and is now getting the second dose at Moch Ramdan Community Health Centre in Bandung.
“I have an immunisation record book too, so I know the schedule. So that the child stays healthy and avoids diseases,” she said.
The Ministry of Health (Kemenkes) has revealed that around 2.3 million children in Indonesia fall into the zero dose category, meaning they have never received any immunisation at all. This situation is said to be one of the causes of the resurgence of extraordinary events (KLB) of measles in several areas.
Deputy Minister of Health Dante Saksono Harbuwono said that immunisation coverage declined during the COVID-19 pandemic because health services were more focused on handling the pandemic.
“As a result, it happened a few years later. One of them is the measles KLB that occurred a while ago,” said Dante during a thematic field visit “Chasing Zero Dose Children in Bandung City, West Java” on Tuesday.
Dante said that children who do not receive immunisation are unprotected from various infectious diseases such as measles, polio, and DPT.
He also highlighted the prevalence of hoaxes about vaccines that make some parents afraid to immunise their children. One hoax that was once widespread was the claim that vaccines cause autism.
“It turns out that empirical studies we’ve done show that millions of people around the world have never experienced autism side effects,” said Dante.
In addition, religious issues are still a challenge. Dante explained that the measles vaccine, which was once questioned, has undergone a purification process and is declared safe and halal.
“It has been tested by the MUI; the vaccine no longer contains any elements derived from porcine trypsin,” he said.
Meanwhile, Bandung City Mayor Muhammad Farhan said that the local government is now working to strengthen the role of community health posts to chase the target of reducing zero dose children in the community.
“The phenomenon of zero dose children is fundamentally not just about data and statistics. There is the welfare of children that we need to guarantee for our shared future certainty,” said Farhan.
Farhan also acknowledged that there is still rejection of immunisation due to the influence of anti-vaccine movements and differing religious views in society.
Therefore, according to him, the involvement of religious and community leaders is important in immunisation education.
“Bandung City Government is now continuously strengthening the role of community health posts and area-based approaches to reduce zero dose numbers,” he emphasised.
Ministry of Health data records that the number of zero dose children in West Java dropped from around 102,000 in 2024 to 67,000 in 2025. Meanwhile, in Bandung City, the number is now around 6,700 children, down from about 8,000 the previous year.
Dante emphasised that immunisation not only protects one child but also builds community immunity so that infectious diseases do not resurge.
“If there’s even one person who is not immunised, we cannot eliminate or eradicate certain diseases in that area,” he said.