Hanoi officially launches measles vaccination campaign
On October 14, Hanoi officially launched a measles vaccination campaign in 2024.
During the first injection session, reception, examination, consultation, vaccination, and post-injection monitoring were carried out seriously at the injection sites, with reasonable arrangements, safety, and a one-way process.
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| On October 14, Hanoi officially launched a measles vaccination campaign in 2024. |
To ensure the safety, effectiveness and quality of the campaign, the Hanoi Department of Health has established three inspection teams to evaluate the organization and implementation of the vaccination campaign in districts, towns and cities.
On the first day of the campaign, 8 districts and towns carried out vaccinations, including: Long Bien, Phu Xuyen, Phuc Tho, Thuong Tin, Dong Anh, Hoai Duc, Son Tay, Thach That. The remaining localities will carry out vaccinations in the following days.
According to the Hanoi Department of Health, through statistical review, the whole city is expected to have about 70,000 subjects subject to vaccination, including children aged 1-5 years old living in Hanoi and medical staff at risk at medical examination and treatment facilities treating measles patients in the area who have not received enough doses of vaccination as prescribed.
On the first day of Hanoi's measles vaccination campaign, at vaccination sites, many children of the right age were fully vaccinated by their parents.
Previously, the Hanoi People's Committee issued Plan No. 278/KH-UBND on implementing a measles vaccination campaign in the area in 2024.
Accordingly, the subjects receiving vaccination in this plan are children from 1 to 5 years old living in Hanoi and medical staff at risk at medical examination and treatment facilities treating measles patients in the city who have not received enough doses of vaccine as prescribed.
The plan excludes subjects who have been vaccinated with measles-containing vaccines or measles-rubella (MR) vaccines or vaccines containing measles and rubella within 1 month before vaccination and subjects who have received enough doses of measles-containing vaccines as prescribed.
The vaccination campaign will be implemented in the third and fourth quarters of 2024, after the Ministry of Health provides vaccines to all 579 communes, wards, and towns of 30 districts, towns, and cities across the city.
Vaccination locations are at health stations, kindergartens, preschools and other mobile vaccination sites depending on the actual situation in the locality.
The goal is that over 95% of children aged 1-5 years old living in Hanoi who have not received enough doses of measles-containing vaccines as prescribed will receive one dose of measles-rubella (MR) vaccine.
The World Health Organization (WHO) assesses the risk of a measles outbreak in Vietnam as very high. WHO also recommends that in provinces and cities with high and very high risk and where there are current measles clusters, a vaccination campaign should be implemented. The remaining provinces and cities with low and medium risk should organize a review to catch up on vaccinations and catch-up vaccinations for children who missed vaccinations due to the pandemic.
The implementation of campaign vaccination and catch-up vaccination must be carried out urgently to prevent the epidemic from occurring, especially in places with clusters of cases to prevent the epidemic from spreading.
Due to the complex epidemiological characteristics of measles, the disease's ability to spread quickly and widely and its dependence on vaccination, vaccination needs to be implemented as soon as possible.
The Ministry of Health assessed that there are 18 provinces and cities in the outbreak risk group such as: Ho Chi Minh City, Ha Tinh, Dong Nai, Long An, Soc Trang, Binh Phuoc, Kien Giang, Quang Nam, Gia Lai, Dak Lak... Since the beginning of the year, Ho Chi Minh City has recorded more than 500 measles cases, including 3 deaths.
In this situation, the Ministry of Health has issued a plan to implement a measles vaccination campaign in 2024. This campaign will vaccinate children aged 1-10 in at-risk areas; medical staff at medical facilities treating measles patients who have not received enough doses of measles-containing vaccines as prescribed.
Priority is given to vaccination for the 1-5 year old group. The specific age group for vaccination is decided by provinces and cities based on the local epidemic situation, vaccine supply conditions, local resources and consultation with the regional Institutes of Hygiene and Epidemiology and Pasteur Institutes.
Localities will proactively investigate and make a vaccination list for children aged 1-10 years old, including transient children currently in the locality. Each child will receive 1 dose of measles-rubella (MR) vaccine.
Except for children who have been vaccinated with measles or MR vaccine or measles and/or rubella vaccine within one month before vaccination (with evidence of vaccination shown on the vaccination card, vaccination book, vaccination management software); children have received enough doses of measles-containing vaccine as prescribed.
The goal of this campaign is to increase the rate of measles immunity in the community to proactively prevent epidemics, reduce the incidence and mortality rate of measles in risk areas, areas with measles cases and measles epidemics.
The specific goal is that 95% of children in the group who have not received enough doses of vaccine as prescribed in risk areas and areas with measles cases/epidemics are vaccinated with 1 dose of measles-rubella vaccine.
The vaccination time is the third and fourth quarters of 2024, to be implemented soon after the vaccine is available.
The scope of implementation in phase 1 is 135 districts in 18 provinces and cities including Ha Giang, Hanoi, Ha Tinh, Hai Duong, Nam Dinh, Nghe An, Gia Lai, Ho Chi Minh City, Dong Nai, Long An, Tay Ninh, Soc Trang, Ben Tre, Tra Vinh, Dong Thap, Binh Duong, Binh Phuoc, Kien Giang.
Phase 2 will add additional implementation areas based on the results of screening and statistics of provinces and cities and proposals from regional Institutes of Hygiene and Epidemiology and Pasteur Institutes based on the measles epidemic situation at the time of screening to add additional provinces, districts, and communes for implementation.
Health experts say measles is considered a global threat because the measles virus of the Paramyxoviridae family spreads rapidly through the respiratory tract from sick people to healthy people in the community or even across borders.
Measles is dangerous because it not only causes acute symptoms but also puts patients at risk of nervous system infections, motor system disorders, damage to multiple organs in the body, and can leave many serious, long-lasting or even lifelong complications for patients such as encephalitis, meningitis, otitis media, pneumonia, diarrhea, corneal ulcers, blindness, etc.
In addition, measles is especially dangerous because it has the ability to erase immune memory, destroying an average of about 40 types of antibodies that can fight pathogens.
In children, a 2019 study by geneticist Stephen Elledge at Harvard University showed that measles eliminates between 11% and 73% of protective antibodies in children.
That is, when infected with measles, the patient's immune system will be destroyed and reset to its original, immature, and incomplete state like that of a newborn child.
To reduce the risk and prevent a resurgence of measles, WHO emphasizes that vaccination is the only way to protect children and adults from this potentially dangerous disease. Countries around the world are required to achieve and maintain a coverage rate of over 95% with 2 doses of measles vaccine.
Children and adults need to proactively get vaccinated against measles fully and on schedule to help the body produce specific antibodies against the measles virus, helping to prevent the risk of measles and severe complications, with outstanding effectiveness of up to 98%.
In addition, each person needs to proactively clean their eyes, nose, and throat with antiseptic solution every day. Limit gathering in crowded places, avoid close contact with people showing signs of measles or suspected of having the disease, and do not share personal items with people with the disease. Keep your living space clean and supplement foods to help strengthen the immune system.
If you see symptoms of measles (fever, runny nose, dry cough, red eyes, sensitivity to light, rash all over the body), you should quickly go to the nearest medical center or facility for timely examination and treatment.
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