60% of cases have not been vaccinated or are not old enough to be vaccinated
On March 27, Deputy Minister of Health Tran Van Thuan inspected the screening, diversion and treatment of measles patients at the National Children's Hospital and the Institute of Tropical Medicine, Bach Mai Hospital.
At the National Children's Hospital, Dr. Cao Viet Tung - Deputy Director of the Hospital said that from 2024 to now, the hospital has received nearly 2,700 cases of measles. Of which, in 2024, there were 796 cases, and in 2025, it increased to 1,894 cases. Worryingly, up to 60% of cases have not been vaccinated or are not old enough to be vaccinated and have the disease. Currently, the hospital receives 70 - 90 measles screening cases per day, some of which are up to more than 100 cases per day.
To deal with the situation, the hospital has implemented traffic flow right from the screening stage. The mild cases were transferred to lower levels, while the seriously ill patients were taken to the Center for Tropical Diseases for intensive treatment.
Dr. Tung commented that if the measles epidemic continues to increase, the hospital will make every effort to ensure admission, treatment and support for lower-level patients.
Since the beginning of 2024, the National Children's Hospital has recorded 13 deaths from measles, mainly children with complex underlying diseases such as pneumonia, premature birth, metabolic disorders, diabetes, meningitis, etc.
Although the hospital has implemented a series of response measures such as updating the case report to the Ministry of Health, developing an epidemic control plan, organizing flow reduction, screening, rapid diagnosis and risk management, it still faces many challenges. The number of inpatients is large, not enough standard isolation rooms, while the treatment time is long. In addition, the current clinical manifestations of measles are not typical, making early diagnosis difficult.
Dr. Duong Huy Luong - Deputy Director of the Department of Medical Examination and Treatment Management (Ministry of Health) warned that many children under 9 months old have not been vaccinated, causing the risk of measles infection to increase, especially for children whose mothers have not been vaccinated.
Measles in adults is complicated
At the Institute of Tropical Medicine, Bach Mai Hospital, from the end of 2024 to now, has received 104 measles patients, including many cases with severe developments. There are currently 2 patients with traditional ventilators and one case needs ECMO support. Notably, up to 75% of patients do not remember clearly whether they have been vaccinated or not.
Associate Professor, Dr. Dao Xuan Co - Director of Bach Mai Hospital affirmed that the hospital has fully prepared human resources, equipment, and medicine to meet the treatment needs of measles patients. In particular, the hospital has invested in digitizing the intensive resuscitation system and increasing the team of experts in emergency, resuscitation and infectious diseases to improve treatment effectiveness.
Dr. Vo Hai Son - Deputy Director of the Department of Prevention and Control (Ministry of Health) proposed that the Institute of Tropical Medicine study the epidemiology of measles in adults to assess the community immunity rate and make appropriate recommendations.
Deputy Minister of Health Tran Van Thuan requested hospitals to seriously implement the instructions of the Government and the Ministry of Health, and at the same time develop response scenarios suitable for each level of epidemic.
In addition to ensuring enough medicine and medical supplies, hospitals need to organize reasonable quarantine to reduce the risk of infection. In particular, medical facilities must provide adequate protective equipment for medical staff and ensure adequate vaccination for hospital staff.
In addition, the Ministry of Health requires hospitals to increase communication to raise people's awareness of the importance of measles vaccination. It is necessary to make people clearly understand the risks and get their children vaccinated promptly to protect public health.
