On the afternoon of March 15, the Ministry of Health held a national online conference on measles prevention with the participation of the health system across the country to discuss solutions to prevent the disease from spreading and breaking out strongly.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the measles epidemic situation is on the rise globally in the period 2024-2025. In particular, in 2023, WHO estimates that there will be more than 10.3 million measles cases worldwide. Europe and Central Asia recorded the highest number of measles cases in the past 25 years with 127,350 cases, double that of 2023.

Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan speaks at the conference. Photo: Ministry of Health

In Vietnam, measles epidemics have been complicated for many years, although the expanded vaccination program has helped reduce the incidence of the disease.

Since 1985, measles vaccine has been included in the Expanded Immunization Program and has contributed significantly to reducing the incidence of the disease. However, measles outbreaks still occur periodically, especially in 2014-2015, 2019-2020 and now 2024-2025.

Although vaccination coverage has been above 95% in recent years, in the past, vaccination coverage in some areas was still below 90%, leading to a buildup of unvaccinated and non-immune children. This is an important factor leading to outbreaks, especially in 2024-2025.

In 2024, the country recorded more than 45,758 cases of suspected measles rash fever, of which 7,838 were positive and 18 died. The measles outbreak was strongest in the Southern region, accounting for 66.6%, followed by the Central and Northern regions.

By early 2025, the number of cases continued to increase, especially in the first months of the year, with 38,807 suspected cases and 3,447 positive cases. Notably, 5 deaths were recorded in Ho Chi Minh City, Dong Nai, Binh Duong and Binh Phuoc.

Measles cases are mainly concentrated in children from 9 months to under 15 years old, accounting for 72.7% of total cases. More than 90% of measles cases have not been vaccinated or have not been fully vaccinated.

Measles is forecast to have a general downward trend, but has not stopped completely, and we still need to be very careful with the risk of an outbreak. It is expected that the number of suspected measles rash fever cases will continue to be recorded nationwide. Especially in high-risk areas such as mountainous provinces, where many ethnic minorities live, access to health services is limited and localities with low vaccination rates are the areas most susceptible to outbreaks.

Overview of the conference. Photo: Ministry of Health

Faced with the complicated developments of the epidemic, the Ministry of Health has proactively implemented many epidemic prevention measures. The Ministry of Health has issued plans to prevent and control the epidemic and launched a measles vaccination campaign for children aged 1-10 and high-risk groups.

Since early 2025, the vaccination campaign has been expanded to 31 provinces and cities to ensure vaccine coverage for vulnerable groups.

At the conference, Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan requested the People's Committees of provinces and cities to prioritize ensuring resources to accelerate the progress of the measles vaccination campaign, especially for children who are not yet old enough to be vaccinated or have not received enough doses of vaccine. Localities also need to strengthen communication and mobilize people to fully vaccinate and proactively prevent measles.

The Ministry of Health requires provinces and cities to review areas with low vaccination rates to organize catch-up and catch-up vaccinations, and ensure that the disease does not spread widely.

Source: https://baophapluat.vn/ca-nuoc-ghi-nhan-gan-39000-ca-nghi-soi-5-ca-tu-vong-post542491.html