Member of Parliament calls for acceleration of national immunisation programme to prevent measles

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Member of Commission IX of the House of Representatives (DPR) Nurhadi has called on the government to accelerate and equalise national immunisation coverage, following a rise in measles cases that has placed Indonesia second in the world for extraordinary outbreaks of the disease.

According to Nurhadi, the acceleration of measles immunisation must be a priority measure to prevent the potential for wider outbreaks, particularly in areas with low vaccination coverage.

“The 95 per cent coverage target is not merely an administrative figure, but rather the threshold for establishing herd immunity. Where coverage is low, that is where outbreaks emerge, and children are the most vulnerable,” he said, as quoted in Jakarta on Tuesday.

He went on to affirm that measles is a vaccine-preventable disease. Therefore, the increase in cases indicates that national immunisation coverage has not yet reached the minimum 95 per cent target uniformly across all districts and municipalities.

He also assessed that the acceleration of immunisation needs to be accompanied by comprehensive evaluation measures. He highlighted the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, which temporarily reduced routine immunisation coverage and has not yet fully recovered.

Furthermore, disparities in healthcare access in remote and island regions, as well as the prevalence of vaccine misinformation, have also affected immunisation achievement.

The DPR, he continued, will push the Ministry of Health to carry out a national immunisation acceleration, strengthen surveillance systems, and ensure rapid response to every potential outbreak.

“We will also ensure that vaccine distribution and healthcare workers are truly spread evenly across all regions. The 95 per cent target must be achieved not only nationally, but uniformly in every district and municipality,” he said.

Nurhadi added that coordination between the central government and regional governments needs to be strengthened, as the success of immunisation programmes is largely determined by implementation at the regional level.

He emphasised that the acceleration of immunisation is not merely a matter of global rankings, but a form of the state’s commitment to protecting the health and future of Indonesian children.