According to the report of the Ho Chi Minh City Center for Disease Control (HCDC), from the beginning of 2024 to now, the total number of suspected measles rash fever cases recorded in the community and medical facilities in Ho Chi Minh City is 597 cases, of which the number of measles positive cases is 346 cases (including 153 children residing in Ho Chi Minh City and 193 children residing in other provinces and cities).

Vaccination is an important measure to prevent infectious diseases including measles.

Regarding distribution by ward and commune, measles has been recorded in 57 wards and communes in 16/22 districts, Thu Duc City.

Due to the interruption of vaccination during and after the Covid-19 pandemic, the rate of first-dose measles vaccination for children born in 2023 in the city has only reached 89.2% and no district has reached over 95% (the measles vaccination coverage rate helps prevent measles outbreaks). At the same time, the rate of second-dose measles vaccination for children born from 2019 to 2022 has also not reached 95%.

To limit the measles epidemic that is spreading rapidly in Ho Chi Minh City, the health sector needs to carry out catch-up vaccinations for children of vaccination age who have not received enough doses and implement a campaign to provide additional vaccinations for children from 1 to 5 years old, including children with chronic diseases who have no contraindications to vaccination.

To ensure the effectiveness of the supplementary vaccination campaign, district health centers need to review and make a list of all children aged 1 to 5 years old currently living in the area, paying attention to children in shelters and protection facilities.

Hospitals are encouraged to vaccinate health care workers who directly care for measles patients. Hospitals should compile a list of children with chronic diseases and underlying diseases that are being managed by the hospital and advise children to be vaccinated at the hospital if they are eligible. The effectiveness of preventing disease transmission when there is community immunity is also an indirect solution to protect people with malignant diseases and immunodeficiency who cannot be vaccinated.

In addition, to protect children in the risk group according to the city leader, special attention should be paid to protecting children with cardiovascular, lung, and kidney diseases who have not been vaccinated, children with immunodeficiency diseases, and malignant diseases. These are cases at risk of severe complications and death when infected with measles.

Medical examination and treatment facilities must strictly comply with infection control in medical facilities. Deploy screening and isolation of suspected measles rash fever cases right at the examination department, and arrange separate examination tables for these cases to limit cross-infection to other patients.

Arrange isolation areas to treat suspected/infected measles patients in infectious disease departments. In case a measles patient must be treated in another clinical department, a separate isolation area must be arranged, not shared with other cases.

Medical staff, including relatives of patients, need to strictly follow infection prevention measures such as wearing masks and hand hygiene when caring for children in risk groups; measles vaccination is encouraged according to the instructions of the Ministry of Health.

For children at risk of exposure to Measles during hospitalization due to contact with measles patients, immediate post-exposure prophylaxis with Immune Globulin is required. Medical facilities shall classify treatment and comply with the treatment regimen according to the Ministry of Health's Guidelines in Decision No. 1327/QD-SYT dated April 18, 2014 of the Ministry of Health.

Associate Professor, Dr. Tang Chi Thuong, Director of the Department of Health, emphasized the need for HCDCs and district and county health centers to urgently implement activities to strengthen community immunity, while hospitals immediately implement solutions to protect children in risk groups, all aimed at reducing the number of cases and minimizing deaths.

In order for the above groups of solutions to effectively control measles, it is necessary to strengthen communication work so that people can proactively implement disease prevention measures and respond to the vaccination campaign.

The Department of Health requires HCDC, District People's Committees and Thu Duc City to promote the role of the network of community health collaborators in measles prevention communication work.

At the same time, the Department of Health Inspectorate is required to promptly detect and handle cases of "anti-vaccine" propaganda and cases of providing false information, causing confusion in the community.

Health experts say measles is considered a global threat because the measles virus of the Paramyxoviridae family spreads rapidly through the respiratory tract from sick people to healthy people in the community or even across borders.

Measles is dangerous because it not only causes acute symptoms but also puts patients at risk of nervous system infections, motor system disorders, damage to multiple organs in the body, and can leave many serious, long-lasting or even lifelong complications for patients such as encephalitis, meningitis, otitis media, pneumonia, diarrhea, corneal ulcers, blindness, etc.

In addition, measles is especially dangerous because it has the ability to erase immune memory, destroying an average of about 40 types of antibodies that can fight pathogens.

In children, a 2019 study by geneticist Stephen Elledge at Harvard University showed that measles eliminates between 11% and 73% of protective antibodies in children.

That is, when infected with measles, the patient's immune system will be destroyed and reset to its original immature, incomplete state like that of a newborn child.

To reduce the risk and prevent a resurgence of measles, WHO emphasizes that vaccination is the only way to protect children and adults from this potentially dangerous disease. Countries around the world are required to achieve and maintain a coverage rate of over 95% with 2 doses of measles vaccine.

Doctor Bui Thi Viet Hoa, Safpo/Potec vaccination system, said that children and adults need to proactively get vaccinated against measles fully and on schedule to help the body produce specific antibodies against the measles virus, helping to prevent the risk of measles and severe complications, with outstanding effectiveness of up to 98%.

In addition, according to Dr. Viet Hoa, each person needs to proactively clean their eyes, nose, and throat with antiseptic solution every day. Limit gathering in crowded places, avoid close contact with people showing signs of measles or suspected of having the disease, and do not share personal items with people with the disease. Keep your living space clean and supplement foods to help strengthen the immune system.

If you experience symptoms of measles (fever, runny nose, dry cough, red eyes, sensitivity to light, rash all over the body), you should quickly go to the nearest medical center or facility for timely examination and treatment.