The Deadly M-R Duo

The second-stage measles (M) and rubella (R) immunization in 28 provinces outside the island of Java fell short of its goal. As of last Tuesday morning, only 49.07 percent of 32 million children had been vaccinated. According to the Presidential Staff Office, this shortfall may cause Indonesia to find itself in a measles emergency. Even with an immunization rate of 75 percent, there have been 142,000 cases of infection resulting in 1,945 fatalities.