Dr. Hoang Minh Duc, Director of the Department of Prevention and Control (Ministry of Health) said that in week 16 (from December to 17, April 2024), the whole country recorded 4,122 suspected cases of measles, down 8.8% compared to the previous week (4,519 cases), however, there were two deaths related to measles, one of which was a patient being treated for cancer, with many underlying diseases and one case was a child hospitalized late after 3 days. Since the beginning of 2025, the country has recorded 76,312 suspected measles cases in 63 provinces and cities, of which 8,614 cases are positive.
Regarding the epidemic situation, Dr. Hoang Minh Duc said that the number of measles cases tends to decrease. The northern provinces recorded an increase in the number of cases starting from 2025 (in 2024 there were very low cases), while the number of cases in other areas has slowed down and did not increase significantly as before.
Most provinces and cities have urgently developed plans, organized implementation locally, mobilized the support of departments, branches and local authorities in reviewing subjects and organizing implementation. By the end of April 17, 2025, 52/54 provinces will have an vaccination rate of over 95% (achieving the planned target); 2/54 provinces have a high vaccination rate of 90-95%.
Facing measles epidemic situation, the health sector has implemented drastic measures. The Ministry of Health has sent a dispatch to the Institute of Epidemiology/Pasteur and the Department of Health of provinces and cities directly under the Central Government, requesting the review and proposal of the subjects of measles vaccination and combat. At the same time, the Ministry of Health directed to coordinate with relevant units to develop a plan to deploy the vaccination campaign to prevent measles in 2025 phase 3.
Associate Professor, Dr. Do Duy Cuong - Director of the Institute of Tropical Medicine (Bach Mai Hospital) - said that the number of measles cases treated at Bach Mai Hospital is noteworthy, the group of adults aged 30 to 65 accounts for a high proportion, many patients have dangerous complications such as pneumonia, encephalitis, and even have to have blood filtered or ECMO support. In particular, up to 75% of patients do not remember the history of measles vaccination - this shows that the subjective mentality in disease prevention is still common in the community.
measles can cause serious complications such as encephalitis, pneumonia, conjunctivitis, coronary arthritis and other infections. These complications can directly affect the health of patients, even threatening the lives of patients. Not only for children, measles in adults can also cause dangerous complications, warned Dr. Cuong.
According to Assoc. The reduced vaccination rate causes the number of people at risk of accumulating disease, leading to a high possibility of outbreaks. To prevent disease, it is necessary to cover the vaccine over 95% with two doses of measles vaccine in the community, Dr. Hoang Minh Duc recommends localities to accelerate the immunization progress to increase community immunity, and monitor and detect patients in time, quickly handle to prevent widespread spread.
