Many children have measles, some under 1 year old are very sick

The case of patient L.T.C (8 months old, in Ha Giang) was hospitalized with a high fever of 39 degrees Celsius, accompanied by severe coughing, vomiting and diarrhea.

Previously, the family thought the baby had a common sore throat, so they took him to a medical facility for examination and treatment, but it did not improve. After 3 days, the baby had a high fever and a red rash began to appear from the face down to the whole body. Because the condition did not improve, the family took the baby to the Pediatrics Department, Central Hospital for Tropical Diseases for treatment. Here, the baby was diagnosed with measles, with typical clinical symptoms such as high fever, eye discharge, cough, diarrhea and rash.

Upon admission, the child was treated intensively. The measles rash has now started to disappear, his temperature is under control, and his condition is gradually stabilizing. However, the child still needs to be monitored to prevent complications such as pneumonia or malnutrition.

Another case also being treated at the Central Hospital for Tropical Diseases, patient N.T.Q, 5 months old in Bac Giang is one of the most severe cases in the department. Initially, the child had a high fever of 39.5 degrees Celsius, dry cough, stuffy nose, lots of eye discharge and diarrhea 3-4 times a day. After 2 days of fever, the patient started to develop a red rash from the face, neck and spread to the body, a typical sign of measles. The rash has now spread to both thighs and the patient was diagnosed with measles complicated by pneumonia.

Before being transferred to the Central Hospital for Tropical Diseases, the child's respiratory failure became severe, requiring intubation and balloon compression. Upon admission, the child had a measles rash all over the body, eyelid edema, and bleeding at the infusion sites. The diagnosis was acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), a severe complication of measles. ARDS caused severe damage to the lungs, forcing the medical team to apply many special resuscitation measures to maintain the child's life. After 5 days of treatment, the patient had progressed: the measles rash began to disappear, the fever decreased, but the lung damage was still severe. The child continued to be ventilated and closely monitored to ensure a complete recovery.

“The case of baby N.T.Q is a clear demonstration of the danger of measles if not detected and treated promptly. ARDS complications can lead to death without active medical intervention" - MSc. Dr. Le Thi Thu Hien, Department of Pediatrics, Central Hospital for Tropical Diseases shared.

“Measles usually progresses through three distinct stages. In the initial stage, children have flu-like symptoms such as fever, cough, stuffy nose, red eyes and diarrhea... This is a contagious stage but difficult to detect because the measles rash has not yet appeared. Next, the rash stage is characterized by red spots appearing from behind the hairline, spreading to the face, neck, trunk and limbs. Children often have high fever and are very tired during this stage. Finally, there is the rash stage, when the rash fades, leaving blotchy spots on the skin before the child fully recovers…” - Master, Doctor Le Thi Thu Hien said.

To prevent the risk of measles, parents need to fully vaccinate their children with two doses of measles vaccine according to the national immunization schedule. Women should also be vaccinated before becoming pregnant to protect their children in the first months of life.

In addition, early detection and timely treatment are extremely important. When children show signs such as high fever, cough, diarrhea or rash, parents need to quickly take their children to a medical facility for proper diagnosis and treatment. At the same time, isolating measles patients, cleaning the living environment and washing hands regularly are effective measures to reduce the risk of spreading the disease.