The Ministry of Health has recently announced a plan to launch a measles vaccination campaign in 2024 across 18 provinces and cities, covering 135 districts in the Northern, Central, and Southern regions.
The campaign aims to vaccinate 95 percent of children who have not yet received the required doses of the measles vaccine in high-risk areas and regions where measles cases or outbreaks have occurred. These children will receive one dose of the vaccine. The campaign is set to run from now until the end of 2024, commencing as soon as the vaccine supply becomes available.
According to Mr. Hoang Minh Duc, Director of the Department of Preventive Medicine, the World Health Organization issued a warning at the end of 2023 about the rising number of measles cases globally and cautioned that Vietnam could experience a measles outbreak. In response, the Ministry of Health developed a plan at the beginning of 2024 to administer catch-up vaccinations, including measles, as part of the expanded program on immunization.
Since the start of this year, Vietnam has recorded over 2,000 measles cases, with more than 500 reported in Ho Chi Minh City.
