Ministry of Health recommends 5 solutions to prevent measles

Measles is one of the most contagious infectious diseases, transmitted through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes. Cutting off the spread of the disease can only be achieved when community immunity reaches at least 95%.

Measles is one of the most contagious infectious diseases, transmitted through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes. Cutting off the spread of the disease can only be achieved when community immunity reaches at least 95%.

Measles can cause many dangerous complications such as otitis media, pneumonia, diarrhea, corneal ulcers, encephalitis, and can lead to death. Currently, there is no specific treatment for measles, so vaccination is the most effective preventive measure.

To control measles in the community, the rate of specific protective immunity by vaccine must reach at least 95%.

To prevent measles, the Department of Disease Prevention, Ministry of Health has made the following recommendations: Full vaccination: Proactively take children from 9 months to 2 years old who have not been vaccinated or have not received 2 doses of measles vaccine to get fully vaccinated on schedule.

Other age groups (6-9 months, 1-10 years old) also need to participate in the measles vaccination campaign according to the instructions of the Ministry of Health .

Keep your distance from children suspected of having measles: Do not let your child come into contact with children suspected of having measles, wear a mask when going out in crowded places, and wash your hands with soap regularly when caring for children.

Keep children clean: Clean children's body, nose, throat, eyes and teeth daily; ensure adequate nutrition and keep children warm.

Sanitation of the learning environment: Nurseries, kindergartens, and schools need to be kept clean, airy, and well-lit. At the same time, toys, learning materials, and classrooms should be disinfected with common disinfectants.

Timely detection and isolation when symptoms appear: When detecting children with suspected signs of measles (fever, cough, runny nose, rash), it is necessary to immediately isolate and take the child to the nearest medical facility for timely examination and treatment.

According to Dr. Hoang Minh Duc, Director of the Department of Disease Prevention (Ministry of Health), to control measles in the community, the rate of specific protective immunity must reach at least 95%.

However, under- or under-vaccination has left an increasing number of people susceptible to measles, creating an immunity gap and increasing the risk of outbreaks.

Measles has experienced major outbreaks in cycles of about five years. Although the measles vaccine has been widely deployed over the years, significantly reducing the number of cases, since the end of 2024, the number of measles cases has shown signs of increasing. In particular, the number of measles cases is mainly concentrated in children from 9 months to under 15 years old, accounting for 72.7% of the total number of cases.

Incomplete or no vaccination is the main reason for the increase in measles cases. In fact, more than 95% of cases have unclear vaccination status or were not vaccinated. This results in insufficient community immunity to stop the spread of the disease.

According to information from the National Online Conference on Measles Prevention, measles has been increasing in big cities and mountainous provinces.

Some provinces with high number of cases include Cao Bang (582 cases), Nghe An (737 cases), Quang Nam (499 cases), Da Nang (2,043 cases), Khanh Hoa (1,661 cases), Dak Lak (621 cases), Gia Lai (1,879 cases), Kon Tum (624 cases), Dong Thap (1,202 cases), An Giang (1,046 cases) and Lam Dong (476 cases).

Areas with low vaccination rates remain at high risk of disease transmission. However, some provinces and cities have shown signs of good control of the epidemic situation, such as Lao Cai, Ha Giang, Binh Thuan, Ho Chi Minh City, Binh Duong, Dong Nai, Tay Ninh, and Ca Mau.

An important reason for the increase in measles is low vaccination rates, especially in areas with low vaccination rates.

Some people are still complacent, not getting their children fully vaccinated, and there is even an increase in anti-vaccination sentiment, especially in big cities. This makes it difficult to control the epidemic.

According to Dr. Cao Viet Tung, Deputy Director of the National Children's Hospital, from 2024 to March 13, 2025, the hospital recorded 3,107 measles cases, of which more than 50% had to be hospitalized. This shows the severity of the epidemic and the need to fully vaccinate children.

Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan also said that vaccination is the only measure to help protect public health and stop the spread of disease.

Experts recommend that to protect children and adults from measles, vaccination must be completed fully and on schedule.

Children from 9 months of age need to be vaccinated with the first dose, the second dose at 15 - 18 months and the third dose at 4 - 6 years of age. For children at high risk or living in endemic areas, early vaccination from 6 months of age may be considered.

Measles is highly contagious and can cause many dangerous complications, especially for children. Full vaccination is the only way to protect the health of children and the community. To prevent outbreaks, health agencies need to step up vaccination and raise public awareness of the importance of measles vaccination.

Each family needs to take the initiative to fully vaccinate their children, and at the same time take other preventive measures such as regular hand hygiene, limiting contact with sick people and keeping the living environment clean. Only when the whole community works together can measles be effectively controlled and prevented.

Source: https://baodautu.vn/bo-y-te-khuyen-cao-5-giai-phap-phong-chong-dich-soi-d256140.html