Children hospitalized for measles treatment in severe condition
Baby H, over 3 months old (Binh Phuoc province), has just been admitted to the Intensive Care Unit of Infectious Diseases Hospital 2 (HCMC) with a diagnosis of severe pneumonia and measles. After being actively treated by doctors, the patient's health condition improved.
According to Dr. Do Chau Viet - Head of the Department of Intensive Care of Infectious Diseases, the unit is currently treating about 8 cases of measles in children. All children's patients come from provinces and cities neighboring Ho Chi Minh City. Notably, in these cases, many children are not old enough to be vaccinated against measles or parents are worried about getting vaccinated when they have other diseases.
Most children are infected through the respiratory tract from relatives, friends when going to school or interacting in crowded places. Pediatric patients are hospitalized in a state of serious illness, complications such as respiratory failure, and are less likely to experience septic shock.
Doctor Viet recommends that when children have measles, parents should pay attention to taking their children to medical facilities for timely treatment if they have symptoms such as high fever (39 - 40 degrees Celsius) responding poorly to fever-reducing drugs; rapid breathing, chest rutsion, swollen nose wings; children vomiting a lot, diarrhea and dehydration; signs of cracked or lethargy, weakness, convulsions, coma... at the time of rash.
Recorded at the Department of Infectious Diseases of Children's Hospital 1, most children hospitalized for measles have complications, most commonly pneumonia. Many children have not been vaccinated against measles.
Measles vaccination, protecting children and the community
To protect children, Dr. Viet emphasized that parents need to get their children vaccinated against measles. Because after vaccination, the body will create antibodies and protect itself when children have the measles virus or if they have the disease, they will be in mild condition.
If parents are still struggling with diseases that need to be limited in measles vaccination, parents should take their children to medical facilities for more detailed advice. Avoid letting children get seriously ill with measles, while it can be prevented.
According to Dr. Viet, the measles vaccine is a live vaccine with reduced toxicity, so it will not be injected into children with severe immunodeficiency, cancer undergoing chemotherapy, radiotherapy, tuberculosis undergoing treatment, children undergoing long-dose use of immunosuppressants (corticoids...) with high doses, allergies or serious reactions to ingredients in the measles vaccine. In addition to these subjects, all children of vaccination age can still be vaccinated, especially necessary for children with underlying diseases and multiple disabilities.
The Ho Chi Minh City Center for Disease Control said that the measles vaccination campaign is continuing to take place with the goal of protecting public health and preventing outbreaks.
On March 23, Ho Chi Minh City organized 3 vaccination points at 3 children's hospitals in the city.
