In the context of measles being complicated across the country, in Can Tho City, a positive sign is that the number of cases has decreased significantly. At Can Tho Children's Hospital, doctors said that the number of measles cases has decreased by about half, at times decreasing by 3/4 compared to the peak epidemic at the end of 2024.
However, it is worrying that the number of severe complicated measles cases tends to increase. Doctor Huynh Hung Dung - Head of the Department of Infectious Diseases warned that the disease is not over yet. Of the 80 - 100 cases treated as inpatients per day, about 7 - 10% of children have complications of pneumonia and respiratory failure, requiring doctors to be on duty to treat them.
"Most cases of the disease are usually children under 1 year old, so they cannot be vaccinated or parents have not given them for vaccination. The department has also recorded that children aged only 1 - 2 months have contracted measles" - Dr. Dung said.
It is known that for measles, if there are no complications, there is only a rash fever, usually lasting for more than 1 week and then recovering. However, in cases with complications, it is likely to affect many organs in the body, especially in children and people with weakened immune systems. The dangerousness of complications can range from mild to very serious, even leading to death.
Having a child with measles, a parent in Can Tho shared that his child was vaccinated before the age of vaccination, and everyone in the family was surprised.
"The disease is getting worse too complicatedly, the child's condition is also getting worse very quickly. My family just hopes that the child will recover quickly, and that they will be fully vaccinated before they are old enough to get vaccinated" - this parent said.
Previously, the People's Committee of Can Tho City issued an official dispatch on accelerating the vaccination of measles prevention and control before the complicated developments of the disease.
Can Tho City People's Committee assigned the Director of the Department of Health to preside over and coordinate with Heads of agencies, units and localities to organize and complete the measles vaccination campaign in March 2025.
Regarding the disease situation in Can Tho, according to information from the Department of Health, in 2024, the city recorded 191 cases of measles positive and 250 cases of clinical diagnosed measles. No deaths have been recorded.
From the beginning of 2025 to March 15, 2025, Can Tho recorded 29 cases of measles positive, 254 cases of clinical diagnosed measles. No deaths have been recorded.
According to the results from 2024 to 2025, Can Tho recorded 9 measles outbreaks ( ended) in 9 districts/counties. According to the assessment, in recent times, Binh Thuy, Ninh Kieu and Cai Rang districts are the 3 localities that have recorded higher numbers of measles positive cases than the remaining localities.
The number of suspected measles rash fever cases in the first quarter of 2025 increased compared to the same period, the health sector predicts that the measles situation will continue to develop complicatedly in the coming time, thereby promoting the implementation of many disease prevention and control measures.
