Response to measles case involving foreign national: Ministry of Health to accelerate immunisation next week

The Ministry of Health is intensifying measles and rubella (MR) immunisation for pre-school and kindergarten children starting next week, in response to a notification from Australia regarding a measles case involving a foreign national who travelled to Indonesia.

“We are strengthening our routine immunisation and implementing catch-up MR programmes, especially in areas with low coverage. We are also providing additional MR immunisation in areas with outbreaks in 2025-2026. This additional MR immunisation is a crash programme,” said the Acting Director General of Disease Control at the Ministry of Health, Andi Saguni, in Jakarta, Thursday.

To increase coverage in areas with low immunisation rates due to high vaccine hesitancy, the Ministry is working with local governments, prominent figures such as religious leaders and professional organisations, to disseminate information about the importance of immunisation.

In 2025, there were 116 confirmed measles outbreaks in 89 districts/cities in 16 provinces. There were 63,769 suspected cases, including 11,094 confirmed cases. There were 69 deaths, with a fatality rate of 0.1 per cent, similar to developed countries facing measles outbreaks.

The five provinces with the highest number of outbreaks in 2025 were East Java, Banten, North Sumatra, West Sumatra, and Aceh.

As of week 7, there were 8,224 suspected cases, including 572 confirmed cases. There were four deaths, with a fatality rate of 0.05 per cent, which is lower than the 0.1 per cent in developed countries. “We are doing better,” he said.

The five provinces with the highest number of outbreaks in 2026 were West Sumatra, South Sumatra, Aceh, West Java, and Central Java.

The Ministry is also strengthening surveillance and management of measles, including isolation, administration of medication and vitamin A, and preparing hospitals in case of complications.

Of concern is the possibility that children with measles and rubella may also transmit the disease to pregnant women. If a pregnant woman is infected, the baby she is carrying may have birth defects.

“If infected with rubella, it can even cause blindness, cataracts, deafness, heart defects, and developmental disorders. We have the data, which we have collected. If a pregnant woman is infected with measles, she may have a miscarriage. So, a pregnant woman is very vulnerable,” he said.

Mulya mentioned that measles can weaken a child’s immune system, leading to pneumonia, diarrhoea, severe dehydration, and even encephalitis or inflammation of the brain tissue.

He hopes that with routine education, measles immunisation coverage can reach more than 95 per cent.