Dr. Hoang Minh Duc - Director of the Department of Prevention and Control (Ministry of Health) commented that in the context of changing seasons and erratic weather changes, the risk of infectious disease outbreaks, especially measles, is always present. Although the Ministry of Health has directed localities to implement measles prevention measures since the end of 2024, the disease situation continues to be high and is at risk of continuing to increase.
The measles epidemic is forecast to decrease in general, but it has not stopped, it is necessary to be very careful, and will continue to record many cases of suspected measles rash fever in provinces and cities across the country, especially in some mountainous provinces with many ethnic minorities, difficult access to medical services, and provinces with low measles vaccination rates.
However, on the basis of drastic and effective implementation of epidemic prevention and control measures such as containment, epidemic suppression and vaccination... the measles epidemic situation is under control, and will be gradually controlled to limit the spread and outbreak.
Although the vaccination rate is currently over 95%, there have been periods of decline below 90%, leading to an accumulation of groups of children without immunity. Getting one dose of vaccine is only 85% effective, while getting two doses is only 90%. Outlying areas and remote areas have low vaccination rates, increasing the risk of outbreaks. On the contrary, in places with high vaccination rates, the number of cases is only scattered, proving that the vaccine helps control the epidemic effectively.
Dr. Hoang Minh Duc added that at the end of 2023, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned of the risk of measles outbreak due to the post-COVID-19 vaccine gap and the 5-year epidemic cycle. WHO forecasts that the number of cases will increase rapidly in the period of 2024-2025. Since the beginning of 2025, the country has recorded nearly 40,000 suspected measles cases and 5 deaths. Although the total number of cases has slowed down compared to the end of 2024, some low-risk provinces have an increasing trend. In this situation, the Ministry of Health requires localities to speed up the vaccination progress, ensuring a rate of over 95% to effectively control the epidemic.
Measles can cause many dangerous complications such as middle ear inflammation, pneumonia, diarrhea, dry eye cornea ulcers, encephalitis, which can easily lead to death. Measles has no specific treatment, vaccination is an effective measure to prevent the disease. To prevent measles, the Department of Disease Prevention, Ministry of Health recommends:
- Proactively take children from 9 months to 2 years old who have not been vaccinated or have not been vaccinated with 2 doses of measles vaccine to be fully vaccinated, on schedule and other age groups (6-9 months, 1-10 years old) to participate in the measles vaccination campaign according to the instructions of the Ministry of Health.
- Do not let children get close or interact with children suspected of having measles; wear a mask in crowded places, and wash your hands regularly with soap when taking care of children.
- Keep your baby's body, nose, throat, eyes and teeth clean every day; ensure nutrition and keep the baby's body warm.
- kindergartens, kindergartens, schools - places with a large concentration of children - need to maintain clean, airy and well-lit hygiene; regularly disinfect toys, school supplies and classrooms with conventional antiseptic substances.
- When detecting signs of suspected measles (fever, cough, runny nose, rash), it is necessary to isolate the child early and take him to the nearest medical facility for timely examination and consultation.
