Indonesia launches a measles vaccination campaign after 17 die in an
outbreak
[August 26, 2025]
By TRISNADI and EDNA TARIGAN
SUMENEP, Indonesia (AP) — Hundreds of children in Indonesia lined up for
free measles shots Monday as authorities rolled out a vaccination
campaign in response to an outbreak that has caused 17 deaths.
More than 2,000 children were infected in East Java province over the
past eight months, according to officials who said 16 of the 17 deaths
occurred in Sumenep district. Sixteen patients were not immunized and
one did not complete the vaccines, according to data from Sumenep
District Health Agency.
Indonesia has reported previous outbreaks of the highly infectious
disease, mostly driven by gaps in vaccination coverage in the world’s
largest Muslim-majority nation.
A major outbreak occurred in the easternmost province of Papua in 2018,
causing dozens of deaths. That year, the Indonesian Ulema Council
reported the measles and rubella vaccine used for mass immunization
programs contained pork. Use of the vaccine produced by the Serum
Institute of India was permitted until a halal vaccine without pork
could be found.
Just 72% of Indonesia's 22 million children under 5 received the measles
vaccine last year, and in some provinces, vaccination rates were below
50%, according to data from Statistics Indonesia.
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A health worker gives a shot of measles vaccine to a child during a
measles vaccination campaign following an outbreak, in Sumenep, East
Java, Indonesia, Monday, Aug. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Trisnadi)
 Indonesian authorities have called
on residents and community and religious leaders to support
immunization efforts. The mass vaccination in Sumenep is targeting
78,000 children from 9 months to 6 years old.
“Otherwise, this disease, measles, will spread further among our
children. It will be even more fatal in the future,” said Imam
Hasyim, deputy chief of Sumenep district.
Globally, the World Health Organization says 84% of children
received the first dose of measles vaccine last year, and 76% had
received two doses. But experts say measles vaccine rates need to
reach 95% to prevent outbreaks.
WHO noted that 60 countries reported big measles outbreaks last
year.
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Tarigan reported from Jakarta, Indonesia.
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