Health Ministry Claims 93% Drop in Measles Cases
The Ministry of Health (Kemenkes) has reported a significant decline in suspected and confirmed measles cases in Indonesia. Up to week 12 of 2026, Kemenkes claims that daily cases have dropped drastically by 93 per cent, from a peak of 2,220 cases in the first week to 146 cases in mid-March.
“This downward trend has been consistently monitored in 14 provinces and 10 regencies/cities with a history of case surges at the end of 2025 and the beginning of 2026,” said Acting Director General of Disease Control and Prevention (P2) of Kemenkes, Andi Saguni, in his statement on Tuesday (31/2/2026).
In response to public concerns regarding the validity of data during the Eid al-Fitr holiday period, Andi affirmed that the surveillance system continued to operate optimally. Monitoring was conducted in real-time through the New All Record (NAR) method and the Early Warning and Response System (SKDR) from health facilities, which were then cross-verified with regional health offices.
Although the case trend is declining, national data records 10 measles-related deaths throughout 2026. One fatal case involved an intern doctor in Cianjur Regency, Andito Muhammad Wibisono (25 years old), who passed away on 26 March 2026 due to measles complications affecting the heart and brain. Andito is believed to have been exposed while treating measles patients on 8 March, but continued working despite showing fever symptoms since 18 March.
“His condition deteriorated with the appearance of a rash on 21 March, eventually leading to a loss of consciousness, and he could not be saved after being treated in the ICU at Cimacan Hospital. This case has been laboratory-confirmed as positive for measles through Biofarma testing,” said Andi.
The incident involving Andito occurred when Cianjur Regency recorded a total of 15 suspected and 10 confirmed measles cases. The peak of cases happened in week 10 of 2026.
“Nationally, around 8 per cent of measles cases infect the adult group (over 18 years old), where comorbidities and high exposure intensity become triggers for severity risks,” said Andi.
As a strategic step, Kemenkes stated that it is accelerating the analysis of clinical trials for vaccines to expand the measles vaccination programme for adults, particularly medical personnel. Regarding the case affecting the intern doctor, Kemenkes has committed to providing measles vaccinations for all internship programme participants.
“We are also requiring placement facilities to ensure the availability of personal protective equipment (PPE) as well as regulate workload and adequate rest rights for health workers handling infectious diseases,” said Andi.
Kemenkes urges the public and health workers who have not been vaccinated to immediately complete their immunisation status to break the chain of transmission. Andi reminded of the importance of operational discipline to prevent spread.
“If any symptoms appear, no matter how small, report immediately, rest fully, and do not force yourself to work,” said Andi.