The Ministry yesterday sent an urgent dispatch to people's committees in provinces and cities requesting strengthened measles prevention as this disease is developing abnormally.
The Ministry of Health stated that the World Health Organization (WHO) has recently issued a warning about the increasing number of measles cases and the risk of measles outbreaks in many areas around the world. According to WHO data, the number of measles cases in the European region in 2023 was more than 300,000 cases, an increase of more than 30 times compared to 2022.
In the Western Pacific region, the number of people infected with measles from 2022 to 2023 has increased by 255 percent.
Meanwhile, 42 measles cases have been recorded in 13 provinces and cities in Vietnam from the beginning of 2024 until now. Moreover, the impact of interruption in the supply of vaccines in the Expanded Program on Immunization has lately affected the vaccination rate for children nationwide. Many children have not got vaccines as scheduled or have not received enough measles vaccines, which is a risk factor for disease outbreaks including measles.
To minimize the risk of measles outbreaks, the Ministry of Health recommends that localities strengthen their medical monitoring for early detection of measles cases in the community and in medical facilities. Simultaneously, the health sector in localities should implement measures to thoroughly handle the outbreak and infected cases.
At the same time, the health sector in localities should continue to implement regular vaccination for children under the Expanded Program on Immunization with a focus on the administration of the measles vaccine for 9-month-old children and the measles-rubella vaccine for 18-month-old children. Healthcare workers should administer vaccines to those who have not been vaccinated against measles.
