Measles Cases Rise; Indonesian Paediatric Association Cites Low Immunisation Coverage as KLB Trigger
Low immunisation coverage in several regions is considered the primary trigger for rising measles cases leading to extraordinary public health events (KLB). This situation demonstrates weak collective immunity across various areas.
The Chairman of the Indonesian Paediatric Association (IDAI), Piprim Basarah Yanuarso, stressed that measles is a vaccine-preventable disease (PD3I). He believes the disease should no longer cause deaths if vaccination coverage reaches optimal levels.
He cited the example of measles deaths in Sumenep Regency in 2025, which claimed 20 lives. This incident demonstrates that community immunity in society has not been adequately established.
“The real problem with measles is immunisation coverage. This disease is classified as PD3I, a vaccine-preventable disease,” Piprim stated during an IDAI media briefing on Saturday (28 February).
According to him, despite immunisation programmes being provided free of charge, various obstacles continue to hinder implementation in the field. These barriers include limited access to healthcare services, disruptions to the cold chain system causing vaccine spoilage, and public vaccine hesitancy resulting from the spread of misinformation.
He explained that if immunisation coverage does not reach the threshold for herd immunity formation, the potential for measles cases to emerge will increase across various regions.
“When immunisation coverage is insufficient for herd immunity and community immunity, measles cases begin to appear,” he said.
Piprim warned that measles transmission rates are far higher than COVID-19. Therefore, high immunisation coverage is needed to effectively prevent disease transmission.
A decline in immunisation coverage to approximately 60 per cent is sufficient to trigger extraordinary public health events in several regions. He added that deploying medical personnel without adequate vaccine supply will not effectively reduce measles cases. Distribution disruptions or vaccine spoilage can directly impact increases in case numbers.
IDAI emphasised the importance of strengthening primary healthcare services and maintaining high immunisation coverage to prevent future measles outbreaks across various regions.
“Besides immunisation, improvements in nutritional intake, particularly animal protein, and enhanced early detection are also important steps in reducing the risk of severe complications such as pneumonia in children,” he said.