Ho Chi Minh City establishes rapid response team for measles prevention and control in schools.

The rapid response team is tasked with handling outbreaks in schools until the vaccination campaign achieves over 95% coverage for children aged 1-10 years.

According to a report from the Ho Chi Minh City Center for Disease Control (HCDC), after one week of school reopening, five primary schools in four districts of Ho Chi Minh City have reported measles outbreaks (with two or more cases).

Therefore, the rapid detection and handling of newly emerging outbreaks is extremely necessary. To achieve this, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health has decided to establish 12 rapid response teams based on district and Thu Duc City areas.

The health station is conducting epidemiological investigations and surveillance at the school.

This is an urgent measure to effectively address measles outbreaks in schools, where large numbers of students are concentrated and the risk of infection is high.

According to the Department of Health, each team will consist of 2-3 members from the HCDC and 1 member from hospitals such as the Tropical Diseases Hospital, Children's Hospital 1, Children's Hospital 2, or City Children's Hospital.

The rapid response teams will be tasked with monitoring the disease situation, implementing response activities, and tracking outbreaks. They will also guide schools and local health centers in implementing measles prevention measures.

Specifically, upon detecting a case of measles or suspected measles, the school's health staff must immediately report it to the head of the local health station. The head of the health station will record the information, assess the situation, and send personnel to the scene to coordinate the response and conduct a preliminary investigation.

"If an outbreak is detected at a school, the head of the health station must immediately report it to the health center, then activate the rapid response team to go to the school to coordinate with local health authorities to monitor and handle the outbreak," the Department of Health informed.

To ensure effectiveness, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health also requested the Department of Education and Training and the Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs to direct their affiliated facilities to strictly comply with measles prevention and control measures. Upon detecting a case of measles or suspected measles, facilities must immediately report to the local health station to receive timely assistance.

Besides accelerating the measles vaccination campaign in schools, establishing a rapid response team is a crucial solution in Ho Chi Minh City's measles response strategy, aiming to protect public health and ensure a safe learning environment for children amidst the ongoing and complex measles outbreak.

Source: https://baodautu.vn/tphcm-thanh-lap-to-phan-ung-nhanh-phong-chong-dich-soi-tai-truong-hoc-d224952.html