Bekasi Health Department intensifies measles Catch-Up Campaign to boost group immunity

Bekasi City (ANTARA) - The Bekasi City Health Department in West Java is intensifying the Catch-Up Campaign (CUC) for measles, or supplementary immunisation, to reach targets who have not yet or incompletely received immunisation, with the aim of preventing measles while boosting group immunity. “Currently, Bekasi City is conducting CUC, not ORI,” said the Head of the Bekasi City Health Department, Satia Sriwijayanti Anggraini, in Bekasi on Tuesday. She explained that Outbreak Response Immunisation (ORI), or special immunisation for diseases like measles, is not being carried out in Bekasi City because there are no indications of extraordinary events related to the spread of measles in the area. She noted that ORI is a special response when measles has reached extraordinary event status, aimed at quickly stopping the spread of the disease regardless of prior immunisation status through the administration of three MR immunisations. So far, her office has provided measles immunisation doses according to the set targets, namely to 832 individuals for the first dose and 1,021 individuals for the second dose. “This activity involves immunisation service posts at all posyandu and daily immunisation posts at puskesmas. We are also actively disseminating information about measles and the benefits of immunisation through flyers, podcasts, and other health promotion media,” she said. Satia stated that the number of measles cases in Bekasi City has fluctuated over the past three years, from 47 cases throughout 2023, dropping to 10 the following year, and rising again to 39 cases in 2025. “Measles can be prevented through immunisation, and if the schedule is missed, it can be caught up until the age of 59 months. Healthy living behaviours are also important to prevent measles,” she said.