House of Representatives Chairman Warns to Seriously Evaluate the Vaccination Program in the Middle of the Outbreak of Measles Cases

JAKARTA - The Chairperson of the House of Representatives of the Republic of Indonesia, Puan Maharani, reminded the importance of evaluating the vaccination or measles immunization program as the disease is rampant in Indonesia, causing a number of toddlers and even adults to die.

"The cases of death due to measles, which have not been few since the beginning of this year, must be a warning for all of us. And of course this is sad news for Indonesian health services," said Puan Maharani, in her statement on Thursday, April 2.

Puan said that although the Ministry of Health (Kemenkes) recorded a trend of declining measles cases, national data recorded 10 deaths from measles throughout 2026. Most of the victims who died from measles were toddlers, who had never received measles immunization.

One of the fatal cases involved an intern doctor in Cianjur Regency, with the initials AMW (25), who died on March 26, 2026 due to complications in the heart and brain after allegedly being exposed while treating a measles patient, but still on duty despite having symptoms.

The deaths of a number of toddlers due to measles in early 2026, coupled with the death of a young doctor in Cianjur, according to Puan, must be understood as a serious warning that basic public health protection must not be allowed to experience a gap.

"Especially on the immunization program which has been the foundation for the prevention of infectious diseases," said Puan.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health data shows that there is currently a significant decrease in suspected and confirmed measles cases in Indonesia, with a decrease of 93 percent in week 12 in 2026 compared to the first week. However, the Ministry of Health ensures that surveillance is ensured to be carried out strictly.

Puan considers this important considering that there are still many cases of measles found in a number of areas. It is recorded that there are still thousands of positive cases of measles throughout the Central Java region to 3 districts which are now in an extraordinary event or KLB status, namely Klaten, Cilacap, and Pati.

"Although there is a downward trend, the fact is that many cases of measles are still found and this should be a reminder to the public about the importance of child vaccination. How not? Measles is a contagious disease that can be prevented through immunization, but it is still at risk of triggering serious complications if not handled properly," said Puan.

According to Puan, the reappearance of casualties due to measles shows that the current public health problem is not only related to the availability of services, but also to the ability of the state to maintain public confidence in health interventions that have proven effective.

"Every actual preventable death should be a matter of serious evaluation. The state should not allow basic health protection to weaken just because false information is more quickly believed than scientific explanations. Handling the extraordinary measles incident needs to be directed not only at short-term medical responses, but also at strengthening the prevention system as a whole," explained the former Coordinating Minister for the Economy.

Therefore, Puan reminded the Government to ensure that the coverage of basic immunization actually reaches areas with low risk of health services. In addition, by strengthening community-based health education, and building communication strategies that are able to answer public doubts in an easy-to-understand language.

"More attention should also be paid to the young adult group after there were victims from the health workers. Immunization protection needs to be read more broadly, especially for groups that have high interaction in public services and high-risk work environments," said Puan.

"The state needs to be present at the community level so that the public can obtain correct information, feel involved, and have confidence that every health policy is carried out to protect the right to life of all citizens," he concluded.