Photos show the efforts to curb a measles outbreak in Indonesia

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Health workers administer a measles shot to a child during a vaccination campaign following an outbreak, at a kindergarten in Sumenep on Madura Island, Indonesia, Monday, Sept. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)

Parents wait for their children during a measles vaccination campaign following an outbreak, at a kindergarten in Sumenep on Madura Island, Indonesia, Monday, Sept. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara) — Health workers administer a measles shot to a child during a vaccination campaign following an outbreak, at a kindergarten in Sumenep on Madura Island, Indonesia, Monday, Sept. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)

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9:09 PM on Thursday, September 25

By DITA ALANGKARA

SUMENEP, Indonesia (AP) — Health workers in Sumenep, Indonesia, are delivering measles vaccines to curb an outbreak on Madura Island, which has persisted for nine months. Over 2,600 children have been infected this year, and 20 have died.

Efforts face challenges due to concerns about the vaccine’s halal status, because some vaccines contain a pig-derived stabilizer. Some Islamic scholars say it’s permissible under certain conditions, but hesitancy remains.

Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation, has reported previous outbreaks of measles, mostly driven by gaps in vaccination coverage.

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