29 children with measles
On February 13, the Quang Nam Department of Health said that the Pasteur Institute in Nha Trang announced the results of testing samples from 30 cases of children with rash fever suspected of being infected with the measles virus in the province.
“29/30 test samples of children (aged 1 to 10) in Tam Ky city, Nam Tra My district, and Bac Tra My district tested positive for measles virus. Currently, the children are all in stable health.
The health sector of the whole province is urgently implementing measures to prevent and combat measles according to the direction of the Provincial People's Committee. The goal is to control and prevent the spread, minimizing the number of cases and deaths" - Director of the Quang Nam Department of Health Mai Van Muoi said.
Quang Nam recorded the first outbreak of rash fever suspected to be measles in Tra Leng commune, Nam Tra My district from January 25, then spread to neighboring communes.
To date, the entire Nam Tra My district has nearly 60 children born between 2013 and 2024 with symptoms of fever and rash being treated at medical facilities. Most of the children were not well cared for and had a poor diet, so the disease progressed more severely.
Faced with the complicated developments of the epidemic, the provincial Center for Disease Control (CDC) sent a rapid response team day and night to cross mountains and forests to villages and hamlets of Nam Tra My district to contain the epidemic.
New outbreak appears
Quang Nam has just recorded another outbreak of rash fever, suspected measles in Bac Tra My district (44 cases as of February 13). The district's health sector is focusing on timely treatment for infected cases.
What is worrying is that many children with suspected measles rash fever in Quang Nam have not been vaccinated and are not yet old enough to be vaccinated with vaccines containing measles antigens.
When their children get sick, many parents just buy medicine outside for their children to take. After many days without seeing any progress, they take their children to the hospital.
Besides, examination and treatment in remote villages in the highlands of Nam and Bac Tra My still face obstacles due to lack of roads, making it time-consuming for patients to get to the station.
Ms. Ho Thi Tha, in village 4, Tra Don commune, Nam Tra My district, shared that in order to take her child to the district medical center for examination, the family had to ask villagers to carry her on foot for nearly 3 hours to reach a place where there was a motorbike to take her to the medical center.
According to Dr. Hoang Van Luan, Deputy Director of Nam Tra My District Medical Center, with the support of the provincial health sector, the district medical force is staying in Tra Leng commune to mobilize people to bring their children to the clinic, and in serious cases, they will be transferred to the district medical center for timely treatment.
“The unit has also proactively supported meals and actively treated the children so that they can be discharged soon. Up to now, the epidemic situation in Nam Tra My has been basically controlled,” said Dr. Luan.
According to Dr. Tran Van Kiem, Director of CDC Quang Nam, the most common cause of rash fever is infection with human herpes virus 6 or 7 (measles virus, rubella virus).
This virus can spread rapidly from person to person, through physical contact with a previously infected person, or sharing personal items with sick people.
Rash fever usually goes away after a few days of treatment, but measles fever can leave serious complications that can lead to death. The best and most effective way to prevent rash fever is to get vaccinated against diseases that have vaccines such as measles and rubella.
