Health ministry urges localities to increase monitoring over measles

Local health authorities need to speed up vaccination for children, including informing parents of the vaccination schedule, said the ministry.

Local media agencies and newspapers should provide the public with information about preventive measures in a bid to raise awareness about those diseases.

Local authorities must take precautions such as implementing hygienic activities in educational facilities and increasing information of personal hygiene.

Measles remains a significant cause of death in children under five, known for severe complications, including pneumonia, blindness, acute diarrhea, and encephalitis.

Meanwhile, pertussis, commonly known as whooping cough, is a highly contagious and hazardous respiratory disease. It typically affects around 80 percent to 90 percent of individuals who are exposed to it and who have not been vaccinated. The disease can be transmitted through coughing and sneezing, meaning it is crucial to avoid close contact until at least five days of treatment.

The rate of children immunized against measles in the age group of 12 to 23 months in Viet Nam saw no significant changes in 2022 in comparison to the previous year 2021 and remained at around 88 percent. A child is considered adequately immunized against measles after receiving one dose of the vaccine.

Viet Nam marked an important milestone on the world vaccine map when it produced its own high-quality combined measles-rubella (MR) vaccine using Japanese technology. The country is moving toward the goals of eliminating measles in the near future./.