Woman in Jakarta Watches Concert While Having Measles, PAPDI: Still Contagious!

Jakarta –

A viral post on Threads social media showed a woman in Jakarta who insisted on attending a concert despite reportedly being sick with measles. In her post, she wrote that three days before the concert, a rash appeared on her body, and she stated that her condition was ‘very contagious’.

This post quickly drew significant attention from netizens. The majority were angry and disappointed at what was considered reckless behavior, mainly due to fear of transmission.

The thread has since been deleted by the account owner. However, several netizens managed to capture screenshots of the post.

“Did anyone see this thread? It disappeared just as I was about to read it. Is it okay to attend an offline concert with a condition like measles?” wrote one account on Threads.

“There’s no way measles clears up in 3 days, and without wearing a mask. If she joins in singing, imagine the droplets flying everywhere,” wrote another account.

“She even said ‘very contagious’… did she think that because her skin was no longer red, she was no longer contagious?! Hopefully, there were no pregnant women near her,” wrote another account.

Regarding this matter, the Chair of the PAPDI Vaccination Task Force stated that during that period, specifically three days after the rash appears, measles can still be transmitted to people nearby.

“Yes, while attending the concert, it is highly likely she was still contagious. The contagious period for measles lasts approximately 4 days before the rash appears to 4 days after the rash appears,” he said.

“So if the rash appeared 3 days before the concert, on the day of the concert, she was actually at the peak of the contagious period. In fact, the most infectious period is a few days before and after the rash appears,” he continued.

He added that the measles virus can spread through respiratory droplets and aerosols when coughing, sneezing, or even talking. Therefore, no physical contact is necessary to become infected.

Moreover, the concert was held indoors. According to him, this condition actually makes the risk of transmission even higher.

“The risk is very high. Measles is one of the most rapidly contagious diseases we know. One sick person can infect about 12 to 18 other people who are not immune,” he said.

“The measles virus can also linger in the air for up to about 2 hours after an infected person leaves the room,” he added.

This makes an indoor concert venue—crowded, with limited ventilation, and lasting for hours—practically an ideal ‘transmission space’.