The fishing village resettlement area (zone 8, Ha Phong ward, Ha Long city) is home to many fishermen who were relocated from fishing villages to shore nearly 10 years ago.
However, due to the nature of the profession of frequently going to sea, the vaccination of children here has not been fully implemented. This has led to the appearance and spread of measles in the community.
On January 31 (the first day of the Lunar New Year), the health agency discovered the first case of measles in the fishing village resettlement area. By February 8, the number of cases had increased to 11 cases.
Of which, there were 2 children under 9 months old (not old enough to be vaccinated against measles), 4 children from 9-24 months old (subject to doses 1 and 2 of measles vaccine), the remaining cases were over 24 months old, including a case over 16 years old. Fortunately, there were no cases of serious illness.
Doctor Vuong Thanh Nga - Head of Ha Phong Ward Health Station - said: Although the annual measles vaccination rate in the locality is over 95%, Zone 8 is still a gap in awareness and vaccination coverage. These 11 measles cases are in the group of 5% of children who have not been vaccinated.
"Many families still have the subjective belief that measles can be cured on their own, so they do not take their children for vaccination even though we have promoted and called to urge them," Dr. Nga shared.
In response to the development of the epidemic, on the afternoon of February 11, on the day that households returned from the sea to prepare for the full moon offering, Ha Long City Medical Center organized additional measles vaccination for people here.
During this vaccination, 164 people were vaccinated, including 162 cases of measles 2 vaccination (expanded) and 2 cases of measles 1 vaccination. The vaccination process was safe, no cases of reactions after vaccination were recorded.
According to the Ha Long City Medical Center, the city's annual vaccination rate is always high at over 95-98%, but there are still about 3 - 5% of children who have not been vaccinated or have not been fully vaccinated.
From the beginning of 2025 to now, the Quang Ninh Center for Disease Control (CDC) has monitored 50 cases of rash fever suspected of measles, of which 32 cases had positive test results.
In Ha Long City alone, as of February 11, 40 measles cases have been recorded, mainly concentrated in Zone 8, Ha Phong Ward.
Measles has no specific treatment and is likely to spread rapidly through the respiratory tract, especially in crowded areas such as schools and residential areas. The Department of Preventive Medicine (Ministry of Health) recommends: Parents proactively take their children from 9 months to 2 years old to get fully vaccinated with 2 doses of measles vaccine on schedule; Limit contact with people with measles, regularly wash their hands with soap; Maintain personal hygiene, environmental hygiene and ensure a reasonable diet; When there are signs of suspected measles, children need to be taken to a medical facility for timely advice and treatment.
By promoting vaccination and strengthening epidemic prevention measures, Ha Long City has controlled measles and measles cases in a gradual manner.
