Sumenep, Indonesia – Hundreds of children in Indonesia lined up for free measles photos on Monday while the authorities launched a vaccination campaign in response to an epidemic that caused 17 deaths.
More than 2,000 children have been infected in eastern Java province in the past eight months, according to officials who said 16 of the 17 deaths had occurred in the Soumenep district. Sixteen patients have not been immune and the vaccines were not completed, according to data from the SUMENEP district health agency.
Indonesia has pointed out previous epidemics of highly infectious disease, mainly motivated by gaps in the coverage of vaccination in the largest Muslim majority nation in the world.
A major epidemic occurred in the most east province of Papua in 2018, causing dozens of deaths. That year, the Ulema Indonesian Council reported that the measles vaccine and rubella used for mass vaccination programs contained pork. The use of the vaccine produced by the SERIAL Institute of India has been authorized until a halal without pork vaccine can be found.
According to statisticia data, only 72% of the 22 million children in Indonesia under the age of 5 received the measles vaccine, and in certain provinces, vaccination rates were less than 50%, according to Indonesia statistics.
Indonesian authorities have called residents and community leaders and religious leaders to support vaccination efforts. Mass vaccination in SUMENEP aims at 78,000 children from 9 to 6 years old.
“Otherwise, this disease, measles, will propagate more among our children. It will be even more deadly in the future,” said Imam Hasyim, deputy chief of the Soumenep district.
Globally, the World Health Organization says that 84% of children received the first dose of measles vaccine last year and that 76% had received two doses. But experts say that measles vaccine rates must reach 95% to prevent epidemics.
Who noted that 60 countries reported that the big measles epidemics last year.
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Tarigan reported to Jakarta, Indonesia.
