Indonesia has launched an emergency measles vaccination campaign in Sumenep district, East Java, following a devastating outbreak that claimed 17 lives, primarily among unvaccinated children. On Monday, hundreds of children aged 9 months to 6 years lined up for free shots as authorities aimed to immunize 78,000 children to curb the spread of the highly infectious disease, which has infected over 2,000 children in the province over the past eight months.

The Sumenep District Health Agency reported that 16 of the 17 fatalities occurred in Sumenep, with 16 victims unvaccinated and one partially immunized. The outbreak underscores persistent challenges in Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation, where vaccination coverage remains suboptimal. Last year, only 72% of the country’s 22 million children under 5 received the measles vaccine, with some provinces falling below 50%, according to Statistics Indonesia. This gap has fueled recurring outbreaks, including a deadly one in Papua in 2018 that killed dozens.

Historical resistance to vaccination, notably following a 2018 Indonesian Ulema Council statement questioning the halal status of a measles and rubella vaccine due to pork-derived components, has contributed to low immunization rates. Although the council permitted its use until a halal alternative was available, vaccine hesitancy persists in some communities. Deputy Chief of Sumenep, Imam Hasyim, urged residents and religious leaders to support the campaign, warning, “Otherwise, measles will spread further among our children, becoming even more fatal.”

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The World Health Organization notes that global measles vaccination rates—84% for the first dose and 76% for the second dose last year—fall short of the 95% needed to prevent outbreaks. Indonesia’s mass vaccination drive, backed by community and religious leaders, aims to close this gap and protect vulnerable populations from further loss of life.

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