In Can Tho City, after Tet, the measles situation has shown signs of cooling down but is still not completely gone. Local health agencies are continuing to closely monitor and deploy many measures to prevent epidemics.
Talking to Lao Dong, specialist II Ha Tan Vinh - Deputy Director of the Center for Disease Control (CDC) Can Tho - said that up to now, the number of measles cases in the area has decreased significantly compared to before Tet. However, the city still records cases of scattered diseases in the community.
Measles cases are mainly in children under 5 years old, especially those who have not been vaccinated or have not received enough doses, which is also the cause of dangerous complications, said Dr. Vinh.
At Can Tho Children's Hospital, measles broke out in early August 2024 with a sudden increase in cases, many cases were severe with complications of pneumonia, respiratory failure, and had to be on a ventilator. During the peak period of measles, cases of suspected measles rash fever and overloaded measles positive in the Infectious Diseases Department, children were crowded from the hospital room to the hallway.
At Hoan My Cuu Long Hospital (Can Tho), specialist I Pham Ngoc Nuong - Head of the Department of Pediatrics - said that in the months before Tet, the number of children coming to the Department of Pediatrics for examination and treatment of measles increased dramatically, 35 times higher than the same period. Most cases of the disease are children aged 7 months to 2 years who have not been fully vaccinated, some cases of children aged only 2 - 3 months are infected from their mothers during pregnancy.
According to data from CDC Can Tho, from the beginning of 2025 to now, the city has recorded 2 cases of measles positive, 135 cases have been clinically diagnosed, and no deaths have been recorded. According to the assessment, in January 2025, the number of suspected measles rash fever cases increased compared to the same period, and the measles situation is expected to continue in the first quarter of 2025.
Dr. Vinh informed that Can Tho City previously implemented an early measles vaccination campaign, divided into many phases in October 2024. The city has vaccinated over 30,000 doses of measles vaccine for children, reaching a rate of about 95%, while about 5% of children have not been vaccinated.
Early vaccination has helped increase the rate of measles immunity in the community, reduce the incidence rate and minimize deaths from measles. Currently, the measles epidemic has decreased, there is no longer a scene of children with measles having to lie tightly in the hospital corridor, Dr. Vinh shared.
Doctor Huynh Hung Dung - Head of the Department of Infectious Diseases, Can Tho Children's Hospital - noted that parents, during the transition period of winter - spring, the risk of measles and seasonal flu increases. For children who have not been fully vaccinated, parents need to quickly get their children vaccinated to protect their health and the community.
