Vietnam launches measles vaccination drive as infections skyrocket
VOV.VN - The Vietnamese Ministry of Health (MoH) has decided to urgently launch a national measles vaccination drive as the number of infections is increasing sharply in many localities throughout the country.
The MoH reported that since the beginning of the year, Vietnam has recorded a total of 1,695 cases of rashes suspected of measles, nearly seven times higher than the same period last year. In addition, 676 cases tested positive for the measles virus, marking an increase of 22.5 times compared to last year.
The disease is showing signs of spreading on a large scale in 18 localities such as Ho Chi Minh City, Ha Tinh, Dong Nai, Long An, Soc Trang, Binh Phuoc, Kien Giang, Quang Nam, Gia Lai, Dak Lak, and Tay Ninh. Ho Chi Minh City alone has logged more than 500 cases so far this year, including three fatalities.
Ho Chi Minh City has now met the conditions to declare a measles epidemic as cases there have already exceeded the average number recorded in the previous three years in the same period, said Hoang Minh Duc, director of the General Department of Preventive Medicine under the Ministry of Health.
The health professional warned that the number of infections may continue to rise as millions of schoolchildren will begin a new school year over the next couple of days.
Meanwhile, Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan requested at a conference on August 22 that localities work out an additional measles and rubella vaccination plan, along with arranging funding, human resources, and equipment for vaccination.
“The goal of this drive is to increase the immunization rate in the community to proactively prevent epidemics and reduce morbidity and mortality from measles,” said the Minister.
World Health Organisation (WHO) Vietnam Representative Angela Pratt noted that hundreds of thousands of children in Vietnam have missed out on vaccinations since 2021 due to pandemic-related disruptions and the recent lack of vaccine stock, thereby leading to the largest sustained decline in rates of childhood immunisation in Vietnam in over 20 years.
According to the WHO Vietnam chief representative, the WHO has finalised the procurement of an emergency supply of more than one million doses of measles-rubella vaccines which will be used for outbreak response and supplementary immunisation activities in the highest-risk areas.
For provinces and cities which have seen rapidly increasing clusters of cases, the WHO recommends declaring an epidemic to allow anti-epidemic plans to be activated promptly. Experts also recommend that all provinces consider this vaccination campaign to be a top priority.
The WHO earlier this year warned that after the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of measles cases would increase in many countries, including Vietnam. Therefore, the MoH plans to vaccinate all 10 infectious diseases as part of the Expanded Program on Immunization, not just measles and whooping cough.
