Australian Nationals Contract Measles After Visiting Indonesia, Health Ministry Responds
Jakarta, VIVA – The Ministry of Health has addressed the emergence of an official notification from Australian health authorities concerning a measles case with a travel history from Indonesia.
The Ministry confirmed it has been coordinating with Australia and WHO Indonesia regarding the case.
Head of the Ministry’s Bureau of Communication and Public Information, Aji Muhawarman, stated that the notification was received through the International Health Regulations (IHR) mechanism.
The information was conveyed via the Australia IHR National Focal Point and has been verified and followed up by the Ministry’s Public Health Emergency Operations Centre (PHEOC).
“Based on the information received, the case involves an 18-year-old woman with a complete MMR vaccination history from 2009 and 2012. The individual travelled on Batik Air from Jakarta to Perth on 7–8 February 2026,” Aji said in a statement on Sunday, 22 February 2026.
A rash appeared on 8 February in Perth and PCR results came back positive. One case has been reported to date with no fatalities. The individual is an Australian national who had visited Bandung.
Aji noted that Australian authorities are still conducting further investigations into the case and have not yet provided more detailed information.
Additionally, the Ministry of Health together with the West Java Provincial Health Office is carrying out an epidemiological investigation and strengthening surveillance in accordance with national measles response procedures. No additional related cases have been reported thus far. Surveillance continues to be tightened to detect any potential additional suspected cases.
“It must be emphasised that measles is still found in various countries and is highly contagious. Nationally, 9,760 confirmed cases were recorded in 2025, and as of February 2026, 269 cases have been reported,” he said.
To date, no national measles outbreak has been declared. Monitoring continues through an active surveillance system.
The Ministry urged the public to ensure complete measles immunisation status according to schedule, particularly for international travellers.
“Members of the public experiencing symptoms of fever and rash are advised to immediately seek treatment at the nearest health facility, and those infected with measles should limit contact with others to prevent transmission,” he reminded.