The mother of an eight-month-old infant from the Mekong delta province of Dong Thap lamented looking at her kid who is in the isolated room in the Children Hospital No.1. one week before, the father was having fever with rash and then the infant had fever also.
Accordingly, medical workers in the local clinic gave same drugs. However, the baby’s illness showed no sign of abating, as a result, the baby was rushed to Ho Chi Minh City Children Hospital No.1 where doctor diagnosed him to have measles.
There is also an other eight-month-old infant from the Mekong delta province of Long An in the isolated room, who was hospitalized on August 31. According to her grandma, she had just returned home from the hospital for treating heart disease. For a few days, she had rashes on body; accordingly, she was taken to the hospital where she was diagnosed to have measles.
Head of the infectious and neurological diseases department at the city’s Children’s Hospital No.1, Dr. Truong Huu Khanh said the hospital admitted some cases of measles a few weeks ago, most of them had fever, cough and rash. Especially, amongst of kid patients, three of them aren't old enough to get the measles vaccine which is given at the age of 9 months
Normally, these infants got the disease from their parents who transmit it accidentally.
Before, within the program to monitor measles cases in HCMC at the Children Hospital No.2 in August, medical workers detected 25 cases of measles who are diagnosed to have rash, most of patients are from southern provinces. Fifteen of them were positive for measles, eight of 15 are younger than nine months old while other kids have not been vaccinated or properly vaccinated against the virus.
Director of the city’s Preventive Medicine Center Dr. Nguyen Tri Dung said since the beginning of the year, the city reported five cases of measles in districts. Fortunately, there has been no link between these cases.
While measles cases are rising in many nations in the world it is highly likely that the epidemic will spread from persons to persons or in communities. Therefore, the Department of Health in HCMC urged people and heath workers to adopt preventative measures against measles in hospitals and in the communities.
Hospitals must isolate suspected cases and these patients will be treated in special rooms to curb cross- infection in a hospital ward, said the department.
Along with this, the Department requested hospitals to strictly follow cross-infection prevention measures as well as supply protective clothes to medical workers and relatives of patients in isolated ward. Moreover, information of the disease will be increased for early discovery of fresh cases of measles.
Additionally, the city Preventive Medicine center and grass-root clinics will disseminate information of measles prevention measures and benefits of vaccination to parents.
For families having kids below five-years-old, parents need to take their kids to clinics for vaccination. Parents should not let kids contact with those who have symptoms of respiratory problems or rash or fever. They must wash their hands before and after taking care of their children. Children are taken to infirmaries soon when they have fever with rash.
