Health Minister Budi said that Measles is More Contagious Than Covid-19

Jakarta: Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin emphasized that measles is the most contagious disease in the world, even more contagious than covid-19. He said the transmission rate of measles can be up to 18 times higher per case.

"So, measles is the most contagious disease. Remember, with covid-19, there was something called the reproduction rate. So, one person can infect two or three people. With measles, one person can infect 18 people," said Budi while reviewing the handling of a measles outbreak in Sumenep, East Java, as reported on the Ministry of Health's official website, Monday, September 8, 2025.

Despite being highly contagious, Budi said measles already has an effective vaccine to prevent transmission.

"Fortunately, just like with covid-19, there is a vaccine, and it's effective. So if you get vaccinated, you definitely won't get measles again," said Budi.

Budi reminded that measles is not just a common infectious disease, but can also cause death with a fairly high fatality rate. The government also emphasized that the main step in dealing with a measles outbreak is mass immunization.

If there is an outbreak, the number one action is immunization. He targeted around 70,000 children in Sumenep to receive measles immunization within two weeks.

"Our target is to complete it in two weeks. If it's completed within two weeks, hopefully, this will immediately and drastically reduce measles cases," said Budi.

Budi emphasized that the government has prepared a sufficient supply of measles vaccine. There are 11,000 vials of vaccine, each vial being enough for eight people. "So that's enough for 80,000 children," he said.

He also warned about the dangers of hoaxes that hinder immunization. Budi said such information is very dangerous.

"Friends, that's very dangerous and evil. Because we've seen 20 children die just because the public was terrorized by that news," Budi concluded.