The information was said by Dr. Nguyen Luong Tam, Deputy Director of the Department of Preventive Medicine (Ministry of Health) at the online conference on the prevention of infectious diseases, on November 28.
Since the beginning of the year, Vietnam has recorded more than 20,000 measles case, of which nearly 5,000 positive cases, 5 deaths related to measles (Ho Chi Minh City 3 shifts, Ben Tre and Binh Duong each locality 1 deathVong).Compared to the same period in 2023, the number of measles is 52.9 times higher, the number of measles positive is 111 times higher.
Notably, many children who are not in the age of immunization have measles.Some localities have a high number of measles and measles is Ho Chi Minh City, Dong Nai, Nghe An, Dak Lak, Binh Duong, Hanoi, Khanh Hoa, Thanh Hoa, Kien Giang, Can Tho, Dong Thap.
Many children under the age of immunization have measles.(Artwork: G.Linh)
From September 1, 2024 to November 19, 2024, the National Hospital of Pediatrics (Hanoi) recorded 195 positive measles.In particular, in September there were 41 cases, in October there were 90 cases, especially in 11 days in November 2024 recorded 64 cases.In particular, the incidence of children under 9 months (less than the age of measles vaccine) accounts for more than 31%, with children over 9 months old, the unprocessed rate accounts for 40%.
After the Covid-19 pandemic, the number of measles increased worldwide with 10.3 million cases, an increase of 20% compared to 2022, of which more than 107,000 deaths, mainly children under 5 years old.The World Health Organization (WHO) issues a warning about the increase in measles cases and the risk of outbreaks in many global areas.
The main reason is the low vaccine rate (only reaching or lower than 80%, compared to the requirement that needs 95%).The impact of Covid-19 pandemic in the previous years affected the vaccination rate of children's vaccines around the world.Many countries do not reach the level of coverage needed to prevent disease outbreaks, especially measles.
Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Lien Huong asked localities to urgently review the subjects, organize compensation and vaccination for children who have not been injected or injected with enough vaccines to prevent measles in the injection program.The strain is expanded, especially in the risk of measles outbreaks or where the vaccination rate is low, disadvantaged and ethnic minority areas.
Measles transmitted through respiratory tract due to cough, sneezing, close contact with people infected or nasopharyngeal secretion.The disease has a characteristic manifestation of fever, respiratory tract, conjunctivitis and rash.Children suffer from the disease mostly, but some groups such as immunodeficiency, cancer, chronic diseases, congenital heart risk are severe, can die.