Hanoi accelerates measles vaccination campaign.

Since October 14th, nearly 23,000 children aged 1-5 years in Hanoi have been vaccinated against measles.

Measles outbreaks are on the rise.

Recently, the number of measles cases in Hanoi has been on the rise. In the past week alone (October 11th to 18th), the city recorded 6 new cases, including 5 unvaccinated individuals and 1 vaccinated individual.

Measles outbreaks are on the rise in some areas.

Thus, from the beginning of the year until now, Hanoi has recorded 29 cases of measles, while no cases were recorded in 2023. Mr. Dao Huu Than, Head of the Department of Infectious Disease Prevention and Control (CDC Hanoi), said that the measles epidemic is showing an increasing trend.

Forecasts indicate that measles cases may continue to be recorded in the area from now until the end of the year and the beginning of next year. Weather conditions and cases of incomplete vaccination will contribute to an increase in measles cases.

Besides Hanoi, the measles outbreak is also developing complicatedly in localities such as Dak Lak, Can Tho, Khanh Hoa, Thanh Hoa, Ha Tinh… For example, according to reports from the Thanh Hoa Department of Health , the number of measles cases has tended to increase sharply from mid-September to the present.

In the first week of October 2024 alone, Thanh Hoa province recorded community outbreaks of measles in many areas. The majority of cases were among children aged 1-5 years and under 9 months old. Notably, most cases involved children who had not been vaccinated or whose vaccination history with a vaccine containing the measles component was unknown.

Meanwhile, since the beginning of the year, Ho Chi Minh City has recorded 4 cases of children dying from measles. The health sector is making efforts to implement control measures, however, the epidemic continues to spread rapidly and shows no sign of stopping in the southern provinces.

According to the Ministry of Health's assessment, the number of measles cases this year has increased sharply; as of September, the number of measles cases had increased eightfold compared to 2023.

According to Dr. Hoang Minh Duc, Director of the Department of Preventive Medicine (Ministry of Health), the World Health Organization warned of the risk of measles outbreaks as early as 2023, including in Vietnam.

Measles is particularly contagious, and the risk of measles outbreaks in schools is very high. Currently, vaccination is the most effective measure to prevent the disease. The transmission of measles can only be stopped when the immunity rate in the community reaches over 95%.

Accelerate vaccination efforts.

Given the risk of measles spreading and breaking out, localities are rapidly implementing vaccination programs to ensure community immunity and protect children from the disease, in accordance with the Ministry of Health's measles vaccination campaign plan.

According to the Hanoi Center for Disease Control (CDC) on October 21st, after one week of implementing the measles vaccination campaign (from October 14th to the present), 29 out of 30 districts, counties, and towns have organized vaccinations; including 470 vaccination points at health stations and 22 vaccination points at schools.

From October 14th to the present, the city has vaccinated 23,296 individuals, including 22,777 children aged 1-5 years and 519 high-risk healthcare workers. Specifically, 21,247 children were vaccinated at health stations, and 1,530 children were vaccinated at school vaccination sites.

Previously, starting on October 14th, Hanoi began implementing a measles vaccination campaign and organizing catch-up vaccinations for those whose vaccinations were temporarily postponed until November 15th, 2024.

According to statistical reviews, the entire city estimates that approximately 70,000 individuals eligible for vaccination, including children aged 1-5 years living in Hanoi and healthcare workers at risk at medical facilities treating measles patients, have not received all the required doses.

The campaign aims to ensure that over 95% of children aged 1-5 years living and studying in Hanoi who have not received all the required doses of measles-containing vaccine receive one dose of the measles-rubella (MR) vaccine.

In addition, over 95% of healthcare workers at risk in healthcare facilities treating measles patients who had not received all the necessary doses of the measles vaccine received one dose of the measles-rubella (MR) vaccine.

In Ho Chi Minh City, according to data from the Department of Health, as of October 19th, the total number of measles vaccine doses administered in the city reached 221,873.

Of these, 46,783 doses were administered to children aged 1-5 years (100%), and 147,613 doses were administered to children aged 6-10 years (100%). However, there are still two districts/counties where the measles vaccination rate has not reached 95%: Can Gio (94.04%) and District 3 (84.71%).

The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health has requested that the People's Committees of districts and counties that have not yet achieved the vaccination coverage rate accelerate their progress to reach the campaign's goals in their respective districts and counties.

For districts and counties that have achieved a vaccination rate of 95% or higher, it is necessary to maintain updates on the situation of mobile children to avoid missing any unvaccinated children in the area.

Thus, as of now, the measles vaccination program for children aged 1-10 years has been completed 100% as planned. However, the number of measles cases in children aged 1-5 years has not decreased significantly, while the number of cases in the 11-17 age group is increasing rapidly. The number of measles cases in those over 18 years old is also showing signs of increasing, and one measles outbreak among adults in a factory has been recorded.

According to the Department of Preventive Medicine, measles is a Group B infectious disease caused by the measles virus. It commonly affects children under 5 years old, but can also occur in adults who have not been vaccinated against measles or have not received the full course of vaccination.

There is no specific treatment for measles, and it is easily spread through the respiratory tract via droplets from infected individuals, or through direct contact, such as through hands contaminated with the secretions of infected people.

Places where large crowds gather, such as public areas and schools, have a very high risk of measles outbreaks. Measles outbreaks typically occur in cycles of 3-5 years.

Vaccination is an effective measure to prevent disease. Disease transmission can only be stopped when the immunity rate in the community reaches over 95%.

Therefore, to prevent measles, the Department of Preventive Medicine, Ministry of Health, recommends that people proactively take children aged 9 months to 2 years who have not been vaccinated or have not received both doses of the measles vaccine to get vaccinated fully and on schedule.

Keep children away from and avoid contact with children suspected of having measles; wash hands frequently with soap when caring for children.

Maintain daily hygiene for your child's body, nose, throat, eyes, and teeth. Ensure your home and bathroom are well-ventilated and clean. Provide your child with adequate nutrition.

Nurseries, kindergartens, and schools where large numbers of children gather need to maintain cleanliness and good ventilation; toys, learning materials, and classrooms should be regularly disinfected with common disinfectants.

Upon detecting symptoms such as fever, cough, runny nose, and rash, children should be isolated immediately and taken to the nearest medical facility for examination and timely treatment. Avoid taking children to higher-level facilities for treatment unnecessarily to prevent overloading hospitals and cross-infection within the hospital.

According to health experts, measles is one of the leading causes of death in children under 5 years old and can erupt into large epidemics due to its highly contagious respiratory transmission. On average, one person infected with measles can infect approximately 12-18 healthy people or those who have not been vaccinated.