Measles outbreak risk, parents need to remember vaccination schedule

Children are vaccinated in the expanded immunization program at Phu Xuan Commune Health Station, Nha Be District (HCMC) - Photo: XUAN MAI

It is worth noting that according to the report of the Ho Chi Minh City health sector, by the end of April 2024, the rate of children 18 months old who had received 2 measles doses reached the highest level of 93.6%. This is the minimum target of the Ministry of Health , but has not yet reached the target set by Ho Chi Minh City of over 95%. What will Ho Chi Minh City do to continue to increase the rate of children receiving 2 measles doses?

In fact, Nha Be district has encountered many cases where children of recommended age have been invited to get vaccinated, but parents reported that their children could not get vaccinated due to reasons such as the child having a fever, being busy going back to their hometown, or the parents being busy working. The health station records these children and continues to invite them in the next vaccination event, to avoid cases where children miss out on vaccinations.

Doctor DAO VAN LUONG

Easy to get measles without vaccination, many complications

On May 25 and 26, the Ho Chi Minh City measles rash fever surveillance system recorded two children, a 13-month-old girl and a 15-month-old boy, with measles, residing in Binh Hung Hoa B ward and Tan Tao ward, Binh Tan district, Ho Chi Minh City.

The two children had a fever a few days before the rash appeared, along with symptoms of respiratory infection. At the hospital, the 13-month-old was diagnosed with complications of pneumonia, and the 15-month-old had secondary pneumonia.

According to the initial epidemiological investigation results, it is noteworthy that both of these children have not been fully vaccinated according to the expanded immunization program schedule and have not been vaccinated against measles.

Mr. Nguyen Minh Tien - Deputy Director of the City Children's Hospital (HCMC) - said that the hospital's infectious disease department is treating a 13-month-old child with measles.

Mr. Tien emphasized that vaccination is the best way to protect children from the risk of measles. Two doses of measles vaccine are 97% effective in preventing measles. If children are not vaccinated against measles, they may experience complications such as encephalitis, respiratory complications, cardiovascular complications, etc.

Parents need to remember the vaccination schedule

The whole body of a 13-month-old girl (living in Binh Tan district, Ho Chi Minh City) has measles with scattered rashes.

Doctor Dao Van Luong - Head of the Disease Control Department of Nha Be District Medical Center, Ho Chi Minh City - said that the measles vaccination coverage rate for children in the district has not yet met expectations, not reaching the 95% target set by the Ho Chi Minh City Center for Disease Control. The Board of Directors always closely monitors and promptly directs activities to increase the vaccination rate.

To increase the measles vaccination coverage rate in the locality, Mr. Luong said that medical stations in the district continue to review the list and call on parents whose children are of the recommended age but have not been vaccinated or have not received enough doses of measles vaccine to come to the vaccination station according to the appointment schedule.

In addition, the disease control department of Nha Be District Medical Center organized training to guide specialized vaccination staff of seven commune and town health stations on supervising the management of expanded vaccination subjects.

At the same time, advise the District People's Committee to increase the force of community health collaborators and coordinate with departments, branches and organizations to join hands to support sending invitation letters to parents whose children have not been vaccinated on schedule and have not received enough doses of measles vaccine.

Dr. Tien said that since March 2024, the Pasteur Institute of Ho Chi Minh City has issued a warning to localities to increase measles vaccination for children of the prescribed age and train medical staff on how to recognize and monitor measles. Currently, all medical stations have measles vaccines available. The most important thing is that parents should take their children to get vaccinated against measles at 9 months and 18 months of age.

In case the child is over the age recommended for the first injection according to regulations, parents can take the child to get the "3 in 1" vaccine when they are 12 months old. In addition, local health authorities also need a notification system to remind parents of children who have scheduled vaccination appointments, in case many parents forget.

Ho Chi Minh City deploys mass vaccination at all medical stations

The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health said that due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the interruption of vaccine supply in the expanded immunization program in 2022, the vaccination rate for children has been affected, many children have not been vaccinated on schedule and with enough doses.

From the beginning of 2023 - when the vaccine supply began to return but was not yet sufficient, Ho Chi Minh City began implementing a plan to vaccinate children who had not been vaccinated. When the expanded vaccination supply situation stabilized in 2024, the Department of Health deployed mass vaccination at all commune, ward and town health stations.

Deputy Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Center for Disease Control Le Hong Nga said the deadline for evaluating and summarizing the target of the rate of children 18 months old who have received two doses must be over 95% by the end of the year. Currently, the city has enough measles vaccines in the expanded immunization program. Districts are continuing to screen children of vaccination age in the area in two ways: screening systematically and mobilizing a network of collaborators.

In addition, the health sector also coordinates with the Departmentof Education and Training to screen children at schools.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/benh-soi-co-nguy-co-bung-phat-phu-huynh-can-nho-lich-tiem-chung-20240529083950898.htm