To prevent measles from spreading and breaking out, the Ministry of Health held an urgent meeting

Nationwide, there were 38,807 suspected cases of measles and 3,447 positive cases. Notably, there were 5 deaths recorded in Ho Chi Minh City, Dong Nai, Binh Duong and Binh Phuoc.

In the context of measles outbreaks showing signs of increasing in many areas around the world and in Vietnam, the Ministry of Health has implemented strong measures to prevent and control this disease, especially in the context of Covid-19 epidemic still affecting vaccination work.

Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan spoke at the Conference.

On the afternoon of March 15, the Ministry of Health held a national online conference on measles prevention with the participation of the health system across the country to discuss solutions to prevent the disease from spreading and breaking out strongly.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the measles epidemic situation is on the rise globally in the period 2024-2025.

In particular, in 2023, WHO estimates that there will be more than 10.3 million measles cases worldwide. Europe and Central Asia recorded the highest number of measles cases in the past 25 years with 127,350 cases, double the number in 2023.

Countries such as Romania and Kazakhstan are facing serious outbreaks, while Southeast Asia, particularly Thailand, is also seeing a rise in measles cases.

In the US, measles outbreaks re-emerged with 308 cases in 12 states in 2025, the highest level since 2019. The main reason for this increase is low vaccination rates, due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

According to WHO report, only 83% of children globally received the first dose of measles vaccine and 74% received the second dose in 2023. This has created a high risk for outbreaks in many countries.

In Vietnam, measles epidemics have been complicated for many years, although the expanded vaccination program has helped reduce the incidence of the disease.

Mr. Hoang Minh Duc, Director of the Department of Disease Prevention, said that since 1985, measles vaccine has been included in the Expanded Immunization Program and has contributed significantly to reducing the incidence of the disease. However, measles outbreaks still occur periodically, especially in 2014-2015, 2019-2020 and now 2024-2025.

Although vaccination coverage has been above 95% in recent years, in the past, vaccination coverage in some areas was still below 90%, leading to a buildup of unvaccinated and non-immune children. This is an important factor leading to outbreaks, especially in 2024-2025.

In 2024, the country recorded more than 45,758 cases of suspected measles rash fever, of which 7,838 were positive and 18 died. The measles outbreak was strongest in the Southern region, accounting for 66.6%, followed by the Central and Northern regions.

By early 2025, the number of cases continued to increase, especially in the first months of the year, with 38,807 suspected cases and 3,447 positive cases. Notably, 5 deaths were recorded in Ho Chi Minh City, Dong Nai, Binh Duong and Binh Phuoc.

Measles cases were mainly concentrated in children aged 9 months to under 15 years, accounting for 72.7% of total cases. More than 90% of measles cases were unvaccinated or incompletely vaccinated. This increase is forecast to continue in 2025, despite drastic interventions from the Ministry of Health.

Faced with the complicated developments of the epidemic, the Ministry of Health has proactively implemented many epidemic prevention measures. The Ministry of Health has issued plans to prevent and control the epidemic and launched a measles vaccination campaign for children aged 1-10 and high-risk groups.

Since early 2025, the vaccination campaign has been expanded to 31 provinces and cities to ensure vaccine coverage for vulnerable groups.

In 2024, the measles vaccination rate for 9-month-old children (first dose) will reach 97.4%, and the measles-rubella vaccination rate for 18-month-old children (second dose) will reach 97.7%.

Special vaccination campaigns have been carried out in areas with low vaccination coverage or high risk such as mountainous provinces where many ethnic minorities live.

The Ministry of Health has also directed localities to strengthen communication and mobilize people to fully vaccinate their children, while focusing on catch-up vaccination and catch-up vaccination for those who have not been vaccinated or have not been fully vaccinated.

According to health experts, the measles epidemic in Vietnam has shown signs of decreasing, but extreme caution is still needed. It is forecasted that the number of cases may continue to increase, especially in areas with low vaccination rates. In particular, mountainous provinces, where access to health services is limited, and provinces with vaccination rates below 90% will be areas prone to outbreaks.

Therefore, increasing vaccination and disease prevention measures is essential to control the epidemic and reduce the number of cases and deaths.

At the conference, Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan requested the People's Committees of provinces and cities to 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. Localities also need to strengthen communication and mobilize people to fully vaccinate and proactively prevent measles.

In addition, the Ministry of Health also requested provinces and cities to review areas with low vaccination rates to organize catch-up and catch-up vaccinations, and ensure that the disease does not spread widely.

With the drastic measures taken by the Ministry of Health and relevant authorities to prevent and control the epidemic, the measles epidemic in Vietnam is gradually being controlled.

However, to prevent a resurgence, it is necessary to continue to maintain preventive measures, especially vaccination, to ensure public health and protect children from this dangerous disease.

Source: https://baodautu.vn/chan-dich-soi-lay-lan-va-bung-phat-bo-y-te-hop-khan-d254265.html