April 21, 2026 | 03:02 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - For Efendi, a resident of Sumenep Regency in East Java, the measles outbreak that spread throughout the first quarter of 2026 has not shaken his stance on vaccines. The father of two remains unwilling to give the measles vaccine to Arza, his 4-year-old second child. "I don't want to turn my child into a test subject," he said in Sumenep on Thursday, April 16, 2026.
Efendi, 30, rejects the measles vaccine for his younger child because of his experience with immunization given to Ahzal, his firstborn. According to him, Ahzal has received two doses of the measles vaccine but was still infected with the virus that causes fever and red rashes.
As a result, when the measles outbreak spread in Sumenep starting in August 2025, Arza became one of the children who tested positive. Efendi's child was hospitalized for a week at Dr. Moh. Anwar Regional General Hospital in Sumenep. In addition to developing rashes across his body, Efendi said, his child suffered from a prolonged cough. He does not regret his decision not to vaccinate Arza.
Sumenep is among the regions that have declared an extraordinary occurrence status for measles. Health Ministry data show 2,139 suspected cases and 205 confirmed infections in the regency. A total of 20 children have died from the disease, known medically as morbilli.
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