MP urges intensified measles vaccination for adults
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Member of Commission IX of the Indonesian House of Representatives, Neng Eem Marhamah Zulfa, has urged the government to intensify measles vaccinations for adults, especially medical personnel, following the case of a young doctor who died from measles complications.
“We are deeply saddened. This incident is a very serious wake-up call. This disease can no longer be taken lightly as it has proven to lead to fatal complications. The government must intensify immunisation for adults, particularly medical personnel as the frontline guardians,” Neng Eem stated in Jakarta on Tuesday.
Neng Eem emphasised that the passing of AMW (26), an intern doctor in Cianjur, West Java, should serve as a turning point for the Ministry of Health to no longer underestimate the risk of measles transmission among adults.
Data, she said, indicates an increasingly worrying situation, with 45 Extraordinary Events (KLB) of measles recorded in 29 districts/cities by the end of February 2025, with more than 8,300 confirmed cases.
“Medical personnel risk their lives every day facing infectious diseases. Ensuring they receive complete and regular immunisation is not only about individual protection but a crucial step in preventing transmission within healthcare facilities,” she said.
She warned that low immunisation coverage outside child age groups will continue to erode the resilience of the national health system. Without strengthening herd immunity among adults, she said, the potential for outbreak explosions in workplaces and public facilities will continue to haunt Indonesia.
Previously, the Ministry of Health stated that to protect health workers and medical personnel, who are vulnerable groups to measles, vaccinations for these groups will be provided.
“Are there plans for vaccination? Yes, that’s correct, we will head in that direction. And quickly, we are also preparing an analysis of the vaccine tests, clinical trials, related to the current vaccination programme,” said Acting Director General of Disease Control and Prevention at the Ministry of Health, Andi Saguni.
He mentioned that according to Ministry of Health data, 8% of measles cases occur in adults, although the majority occur in infants.