Gov’t chief requests acceleration of measles vaccination coverage

The Prime Minister urged the Minister of Health (MoH) to direct and support localities to finalize the ongoing campaign; instruct medical facilities to treat patients with measles and suspected cases; coordinate with the Ministry of Finance to ensure adequate and timely funding for the measles vaccination campaign.

Provincial-level authorities must assess the measles situation in order to take prompt response measures according to the ministry's instructions.

The Minister of Education and Training should direct educational institutions to implement preventive measures following the health sector's guidance.

Schools must supervise students' health and inform medical facilities when detecting suspected cases of measles for timely quarantine and treatment.

Since the begining of the year, Viet Nam has recorded nearly 40,000 suspected measles cases, including five deaths. 

Meanwhile, measles vaccine coverage has fallen below the recommended level in recent years due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Between 2019 and 2024, an estimated 1.4 million children in the targeted age group of the expanded immunization program have either missed or only partially completed their routine measles vaccinations. To date, catch-up vaccination efforts have reached approximately 70 percent, about 900,000, of the children.

The current measles vaccination rate nationwide was still low, and community immunity did not reach the needed level. In some provinces, the vaccination rate was only 40 percent.

Earlier, on March 13, Deputy Prime Minister Le Thanh Long had a meeting with WHO Viet Nam Representative Angela Pratt and UNICEF Viet Nam Representative Silvia Danilov to discuss collaboration in disease prevention and control, particularly measles./.