Hundreds of Thousands of Health Workers to Receive Priority Measles Vaccination

The Ministry of Health (Kemenkes) is prioritising measles vaccination for health workers (nakes), following the issuance of expanded indication approval for the Measles-Rubella (MR) vaccine by the National Agency of Drug and Food Control (BPOM) for adults. Director General of Pharmacy and Medical Devices, L. Rizka Andalusia, stated that this step is taken to protect the frontline personnel at high risk of infection. The primary targets are 39,212 medical personnel and 223,150 health workers in 14 provinces with the highest cases. “With the outbreak, there is a potential for transmission to high-risk individuals, in this case, the nakes who work directly with patients, facing high risk,” said Rizka during a press conference at the BPOM Office in Jakarta on Wednesday (8/4). In addition to nakes in priority areas, vaccination will also be provided to 28,321 general practitioners and dentists undergoing internships across Indonesia. The total need for this adult priority group is estimated at around 290,000 doses. Rizka assured that the requirement is well met by the current national stock. Up to week 13 of 2026, the MR vaccine stock is recorded at 9.8 million doses, sufficient for the next 5.5 months. “We ensure that stocks across all regions remain maintained but not excessive, to avoid the risk of vaccine spoilage. We have a vaccine monitoring mechanism called SMILE through Satu Sehat Logistik, allowing us to monitor vaccine availability in all provinces, districts/cities, down to community health centres and health service facilities in real-time,” explained Rizka. Meanwhile, BPOM Head Taruna Ikrar explained that the expanded indication approval has been issued for the MR, MMR, and single measles vaccines produced by Bio Farma/Serum Institute of India, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), and Merck Sharp Dohme (MSD). “This approval is the result of rigorous review based on scientific data, as well as BPOM’s commitment to ensuring that every health intervention meets safety and efficacy standards,” clarified Taruna. At the end of her statement, Rizka urged parents to promptly complete their children’s basic immunisation (at 9 months, 18 months, and primary school booster) without waiting for an outbreak. Kemenkes records 39,212 medical personnel and around 2,000 health workers in 14 provinces with the highest measles cases who will be the primary priority.