Measles situation in Vietnam in early 2025
According to statistics from the Vietnam Ministry of Health, from the beginning of 2025 till now, officials have recorded about 40,000 suspected measles cases, including five deaths related to measles.
The number of suspected measles cases recorded is highest in the Southern region (57%), followed by the Central region (19.2%), Northern region (15.1%) and Central Highlands (8.7%).
Measles in Vietnam is at risk of continuing to increase in the coming time. We still need to be extremely careful with the risk of outbreaks. It is expected that the number of cases of rash fever suspected to be measles will continue to be recorded nationwide, officials note.
Especially in high-risk areas such as mountainous provinces, where many ethnic minorities live, access to health services is limited and localities with low vaccination rates are the areas most susceptible to outbreaks.
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Faced with the complicated and unpredictable developments of infectious diseases, especially measles, Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan requested that the People's Committees of provinces and cities prioritize ensuring resources to accelerate the progress of the measles vaccination campaign, especially for children who are not yet old enough to be vaccinated or have not received enough doses of vaccine, which must be completed by March 2025.
"Localities also need to strengthen communication work, mobilize people to fully vaccinate and proactively prevent measles. In addition, the Ministry of Health also requires provinces and cities to review areas with low vaccination rates to organize catch-up vaccinations and ensure that the disease does not spread widely. Localities need to prepare medical supplies, reserve drugs, and prevent cross-infection of measles at medical facilities," Minister Dao Hong Lan emphasized.
Dr. Hoang Minh Duc - Director of the Department of Disease Prevention said that measles spreads the fastest among infectious diseases, the disease is transmitted through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes and the transmission can only be stopped when community immunity reaches at least 95%.
The disease can cause many dangerous complications such as otitis media, pneumonia, diarrhea, corneal ulcers, encephalitis, which can easily lead to death.
There is no specific treatment for measles, vaccination is an effective measure to prevent the disease.
To prevent measles, the Department of Disease Prevention, Ministry of Health recommends:
1. Proactively take children from 9 months to 2 years old who have not been vaccinated or have not received 2 doses of measles vaccine to get fully vaccinated on schedule and other age groups (6-9 months, 1-10 years old) to participate in the measles vaccination campaign according to the instructions of the Ministry of Health.
2. Do not let children get close to or come into contact with children suspected of having measles; wear masks in crowded places, and wash hands frequently with soap when caring for children.
3. Keep your child's body, nose, throat, eyes and mouth clean every day; ensure nutrition and keep your child's body warm.
4. Nursery schools, kindergartens, and schools with large concentrations of children must be kept clean, airy, and well-lit; toys, learning tools, and classrooms must be regularly disinfected with common disinfectants.
5. When detecting signs of suspected measles (fever, cough, runny nose, rash), it is necessary to isolate the child early and take him/her to the nearest medical facility for timely examination and treatment advice.