Hanoi records hundreds of measles cases
According to the Hanoi Center for Disease Control (CDC), from March 7 to March 14, the city recorded 131 cases of measles, an increase of 11 cases compared to the previous week.
Among the districts with the most cases, Ha Dong leads with 17 cases, followed by Hoang Mai (13 cases), Thanh Tri and Thuong Tin (11 cases each), Bac Tu Liem and Dong Da (9 cases each).
From the beginning of 2025 to March 14, Hanoi has recorded 876 measles cases in 30/30 districts, towns and cities; meanwhile, in the same period in 2024, no cases were recorded.
Measles patients are divided by age group: 97 cases under 6 months (11.1%), 131 cases from 6-8 months (15%), 100 cases from 9-11 months (11.4%), 196 cases from 1-5 years old (22.4%), 136 cases from 6-10 years old (15.5%) and 216 cases from 10 years old and above (24.7%).
The Hanoi CDC stated that the number of measles cases increased mainly in the group that had not been vaccinated or had not been fully vaccinated. It is forecasted that the number of cases will increase in the coming time.
In the past week, the city also recorded 72 cases of hand, foot and mouth disease in 26 districts, towns and cities, an increase of 19 cases compared to the previous week. Since the beginning of 2025, Hanoi has recorded 290 cases, an increase of 1.8 times over the same period in 2024. Last week, an outbreak of hand, foot and mouth disease appeared in Binh Minh commune, Thanh Oai district. See more
Concerns about measles outbreak every 5 years
Associate Professor, Dr. Tran Dac Phu, former Director of the Department of Preventive Medicine (now renamed the Department of Prevention) (Ministry of Health) assessed that the measles epidemic flares up every 5 years and is now right in the epidemic cycle, the risk of measles outbreak in our country is very high.
Firstly, during the COVID-19 pandemic, many children were not vaccinated against measles.
Second, in 2023, the second half of 2024, there will be times when we will have a local shortage of measles vaccines due to the procurement mechanism.
Third, even if we achieve a high measles vaccination rate (90-95%) , there are still 5-10% of children who are not vaccinated. accumulated every 5 years, 50% of children born in a year will have measles and Thus the absolute number of cases is very high.
"The number of children who are not protected by vaccines has increased over the years and become a large number, combined with the characteristics of rapid and strong epidemics, so when an epidemic occurs, the risk of an outbreak is very high. In addition, the measles vaccine has a high protective effect, but is only 90-95%. This is also the reason why measles has a cycle every 5 years," Dr. Phu analyzed.
Hot weather 37-38 degrees Celsius in the South, doctors advise how to protect the skin
The South is going through a dry season with prolonged hot weather of 37-38 degrees Celsius, people need to have proper skin protection and care.
MSc. Dr. Phan Ngoc Huy - Department of Dermatology, Ho Chi Minh City Dermatology Hospital said that in Vietnam, especially during the hot season, people need to monitor the UV index. There are days when the index is very high and at an extreme warning level. See more
Successful surgery for a 15 kg tumor in a patient
Ms. D.T.T (Cam Khe, Phu Tho) went to the clinic and discovered an ovarian tumor in 2022. Out of fear of surgery, she listened to acquaintances buying herbal medicine to self-treat at home.
After more than a year of continuing to take herbal medicine, the patient's abdomen became increasingly bulging, his limbs were unusually thin, so he stopped taking herbal medicine. However, this condition did not improve, and the abdomen continued to bulge, causing difficulties and inconveniences in daily activities. Therefore, the patient went to Phu Tho General Hospital for examination.
At the Oncology Department, the patient was examined, consulted by doctors and prescribed surgery to remove the ovarian tumor. After about 3 hours of surgery, the doctors successfully removed a giant tumor weighing 15kg from the patient's belly. After surgery, the patient's condition was stable and he continued to be monitored and treated at the Department.
BSCKII. Do Manh Hai - Head of the Oncology Surgery Department, Phu Tho General Hospital said that ovarian tumors are a common disease and are mostly benign. But patient T. above is a fairly rare case because the tumor size is very large, up to 15kg. If left untreated, the tumor will compress neighboring organs, leading to many dangerous complications, even threatening life.
Through here, BSCKII. Do Manh Hai also recommends: People should absolutely not buy medicine to take on themselves, especially herbal medicine of unknown origin, advertised medicine, unverified oral administration... to avoid dangerous consequences for health.
