Chiem Hoa strives to achieve a rate of over 95% of children being fully vaccinated.

SKĐS – Along with the efforts of the health sector to bring vaccination services in mountainous communes closer to the people, each family also needs to be aware that taking their children to get vaccinated on schedule not only protects their own children, but also protects the whole village and society.

Danger lurks for Chiem Hoa children when vaccination is skipped

In late July, at the Department of Infectious Diseases - Chiem Hoa Regional Medical Center (Tuyen Quang), Ms. STT in Trung Ha commune was busy taking care of her four-year-old daughter who was being treated for measles. She said that before, her child only had a high fever, cough, and runny nose. She subjectively bought medicine and boiled leaves for her child to drink. When her child developed a rash and had difficulty breathing, she took her to the commune health station and was then transferred to a higher level. "Luckily, my child was taken in time, otherwise the consequences would have been unimaginable" - she sadly admitted, at the same time acknowledging the underlying cause: the child had not received enough measles-rubella vaccinations.

This is not an isolated case. In some highland communes such as Tri Phu, Linh Phu, Trung Ha..., there are still cases of children not being fully vaccinated. According to statistics, in 2025, Chiem Hoa area will have nearly 1,726 children under 1 year old, 1,650 children 18 months old and more than 2,200 pregnant women who need to be vaccinated. In addition, the measles-rubella vaccination campaign at the beginning of the year had to mobilize 1,559 children from 6 months to 10 years old. This number shows a huge workload, but at the same time reflects a reality: there are still many children missing important vaccinations.

The risks of missed injections

Vaccination is considered a "steel shield" to protect children's health, but when shots are missed, the risk of disease is always present. Diseases such as measles, diphtheria, whooping cough, and even polio can completely return.

Data from the Tuyen Quang health sector shows that in the measles outbreaks in 2024-2025, nearly 44% of cases were in the group of children who had not been vaccinated or had not been fully vaccinated. That means, with just a little subjectivity from parents or a negligent village community, the epidemic can completely break out and spread rapidly. And the consequences are not limited to a few hospitalized cases, but also economic burden, social anxiety, and even leave serious lifelong sequelae for children.

Vaccination for children at vaccination points in Chiem Hoa area. Photo by Duc Toan.

Bringing services closer to the people

Chiem Hoa is a mountainous area, with many villages far from the commune center and difficult roads. To overcome this barrier, the health sector has deployed outpatient vaccination points. At the village cultural house and kindergarten, health workers bring vaccines, cold chains, and organize mobile vaccination tables. This solution helps parents avoid having to travel dozens of kilometers, saving costs and increasing the rate of children being vaccinated.

Along with that, the village health team and population collaborators actively "go to every alley, knock on every door" to mobilize and remind about vaccination schedules. Schools also get involved, checking vaccination records upon admission, and organizing vaccinations right in the classroom. These are practical solutions to "plug the loophole" in vaccination work.

Cannot be subjective

In reality, if just a few children skip vaccinations, the entire community will face the risk of an epidemic. In a context where many parents are still afraid of post-vaccination reactions, or are busy working in the fields and forget the schedule, promoting behavior change becomes even more important. The message needs to be repeated: "Vaccination is a right and a responsibility. Skipping vaccinations opens the door for the epidemic to return."

Call to action

Criticizing the lack of vaccination is not only to point out the loopholes, but also to awaken the community to the dangers. Every family and every parent must be aware that taking their children to get vaccinated on schedule not only protects their own children, but also protects the whole village and society.

With the joint efforts of the government, health sector, education sector and each household, Chiem Hoa can completely achieve the goal of full vaccination rate >= 95%, building a solid "community shield", so that children can grow up healthy, without the worry of lurking epidemics.

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Source: https://suckhoedoisong.vn/chiem-hoa-phan-dau-dat-ty-le-tren-95-tre-em-duoc-tiem-chung-day-du-16925110313594242.htm