Indonesia has launched emergency vaccination drives after measles outbreaks killed more than 20 children in two provinces, stoking fears of a wider epidemic amid a global resurgence of the virus.
Advertisement
The scale and speed of the outbreaks have alarmed health experts, who warn the crisis is not simply the result of faltering immunisation coverage, but also a symptom of growing vaccine hesitancy – fuelled by online misinformation, religious concerns and a legacy of public distrust.
This erosion of confidence now threatens to overwhelm efforts to contain further spread.
Between January and August, Indonesia’s Health Ministry confirmed more than 3,400 measles cases across 14 provinces, nearly matching the 3,500 cases recorded for the whole of last year. Thousands more suspected cases are under investigation, prompting authorities to designate the outbreaks “an extraordinary event”.
In East Java’s Sumenep, the disease has already claimed at least 20 lives. Another hotspot, Riau province, had reported 900 suspected cases and 142 confirmed as of the end of October, including the death of a junior school pupil in the provincial capital, Pekanbaru.
“The transmission rate is very high,” warned Hazil Fendriyanto, head of the Pekanbaru Health Agency, on November 10. “We urge the public to be aware of disease transmission.”
‘Online hoaxes’
Measles, a highly contagious viral illness, spreads easily through respiratory droplets when infected people cough or sneeze.