Measles Cases Spread, Awareness of Healthy Living and Strengthening National Immunisation Must Be Enhanced
Deputy Chair of the MPR RI Lestari Moerdijat is encouraging awareness of healthy living and strengthening immunisation to bolster the national health system following the increase in measles cases since early 2026.
The spread of measles cases in Indonesia since early 2026 is seen as an alarm for society and the government to strengthen collective awareness in implementing healthy living patterns, starting from the family environment as the foundation of a strong national health system.
“The spread of measles cases since the beginning of this year must be a momentum for us to build shared awareness in realising healthy living patterns for Indonesian society,” said Lestari when opening an online discussion themed The Dangers of Measles Disease in Indonesia and Efforts to Overcome It, held by the Denpasar 12 Discussion Forum on Wednesday (8/4).
The discussion, moderated by Eva Kusuma Sundari, featured Chair of Commission IX of the DPR RI Felly Estelita Runtuwene, Director of Non-Communicable Diseases at the Ministry of Health RI Siti Nadia Tarmizi, Director of Postgraduate Studies at YARSI University Prof. Dr. Tjandra Yoga Aditama, and General Chair of the Central Board of the Indonesian Paediatricians Association (IDAI) Dr. dr. Piprim Basarah Yanuarso as speakers.
According to Lestari, building healthy living patterns is part of the state’s efforts to protect citizens through fulfilling basic aspects, namely health. Data from the Ministry of Health RI shows a decline in herd immunity below 95 percent, which has triggered a significant surge in measles cases.
The decline in Measles-Rubella (MR) immunisation coverage, Lestari continued, is influenced by several factors such as misinformation and anti-vaccine hoaxes, disruptions to health services during the COVID-19 pandemic, and low public acceptance of immunisation.
Rerie, Lestari’s familiar name, believes all this data must be used as a basis for improving the direction of disease prevention policies while strengthening the capacity of the national health system.
“Collective awareness for healthy living must be consistently built starting from the family scope to strengthen the national health system,” said Rerie, who is also a member of Commission X of the DPR RI.
She also encouraged stakeholders to carry out fundamental improvements to the health system so that health protection as a citizens’ right can truly be realised.
Director of Non-Communicable Diseases at the Ministry of Health RI Siti Nadia Tarmizi revealed that the government has an early warning monitoring system for the spread of infectious diseases, including measles.
According to Siti, the increase in measles cases and suspected measles began to appear at the end of 2025 and peaked in the first week of 2026 with 2,932 suspected measles cases and 2,220 clinically confirmed cases.
New measles cases showed a declining trend in the second week of March 2026. Several provinces with surges in cases were recorded to have low measles immunisation coverage.
To address this situation, the government is conducting outbreak response immunisation in the form of additional immunisation regardless of previous immunisation status. In addition, completion of immunisation for infants and toddlers is also being carried out.
The Ministry of Health has also issued a Measles Disease Alert Letter for medical personnel and health workers number HK.02.02/C/1602/2026 as a guideline for vigilance in all health service facilities.
Director of Postgraduate Studies at YARSI University Tjandra Yoga Aditama explained that increased attention to measles is occurring due to the surge in cases, the death of medical personnel due to measles, and reports of cases in Australia originating from travellers from Jakarta.
According to Tjandra, measles is not a new disease and has been recorded as an epidemic since the 9th century BC. However, in the last 25 years, measles vaccination has proven to save around 57 million lives from death.
“The impact of vaccination on reducing the transmission of measles cases is very significant,” emphasised Tjandra.
He suggested increasing measles vaccination not only for children and toddlers but also for adult groups to suppress transmission rates.
Chair of Commission IX of the DPR RI Felly Estelita Runtuwene assessed that Indonesia is currently facing extraordinary measles incidents in several regions, thus requiring serious joint attention.
According to Felly, the immunisation programme is a mandatory central government programme implemented by local governments. She emphasised that measles is a disease that can be prevented through immunisation.
Felly hopes that the immunisation and prevention programmes that have been designed can be optimally realised for all society.
General Chair of the Central Board of IDAI Piprim Basarah Yanuarso emphasised the importance of strengthening primary health services through promotive and preventive approaches, especially increasing immunisation coverage.
According to Piprim, the state will be overwhelmed in facing outbreaks if it focuses too much on curative services while primary services remain weak. He views the existence of posyandu (community health posts) as an important foundation in community health promotion and prevention efforts.
Meanwhile, senior journalist Usman Kansong highlighted the rampant anti-vaccine disinformation on social media, including statements from a doctor campaigning against vaccines by highlighting side effects.
Usman believes the spread of such misleading information has the potential to hinder measles control, which is actually effectively prevented through vaccination. He encouraged increased public education through proper socialisation regarding the importance of immunisation to prevent the spread of measles.