More than 32% of children under 5 years old in Ho Chi Minh City are vaccinated against measles.

In Ho Chi Minh City, there are currently 19,821 children aged 1 to 5 years old vaccinated against measles, accounting for 32.6% of the total 60,733 children subject to vaccination according to the plan to proactively respond to measles epidemics in the city.

According to data from the National Immunization Information System, the total number of children aged 1 to 5 years old living in Ho Chi Minh City managed under the Expanded Immunization Program is 437,412 children, and according to the guidelines of the World Health Organization (2022), when measles outbreaks spread, it is recommended to choose the option of supplementary vaccination for all children, regardless of previous vaccination history.

Measles vaccination rates remain low.

Accordingly, the City People's Committee issued Plan No. 4959/KH-UBND dated August 27, 2024 on proactively responding to measles epidemics in the City. In the first phase, priority will be given to vaccinating all children living in districts with high measles cases (Binh Chanh, Hoc Mon, Binh Tan, Thu Duc City...), estimated at about 263,640 children.

Through monitoring the situation of children with measles in the city since the epidemic was announced, with an average of about 20 new cases per day and most of them have not been fully vaccinated against measles, promoting the spirit of safe and flexible adaptation, effective disease control from Covid-19 pandemic prevention activities, the plan to provide additional vaccinations for all children, regardless of previous vaccination history, has been adjusted by the Ho Chi Minh City Steering Committee for Disease Prevention and Control to the plan to vaccinate children who have not been fully vaccinated.

This plan received high consensus and agreement at the working session of the Ministry of Health's Working Group and the City's Steering Committee for Disease Prevention and Control on August 29, 2024, chaired by Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Lien Huong and Ms. Tran Thi Dieu Thuy, Vice Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee.

Thus, an important requirement is that all People's Committees of districts, towns and Thu Duc City and related departments and agencies (Department of Education and Training, Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs) must closely coordinate and speed up the progress of reviewing the reality, making a list of children from 1 to 10 years old who have not received enough vaccinations (regardless of permanent and temporary residence) and mobilize children to get vaccinated.

In addition, the Department of Health in coordination with the Department of Education and Training needs to urgently implement a measles vaccination campaign for all children who have not been fully vaccinated in the shortest time to soon re-establish immunity in the community, contributing to ending the measles epidemic.

Based on data on children managed on the National Immunization Information System, it is estimated that the number of children aged 1 to 5 years old who have not received enough measles vaccine doses in the City is 60,733.

For children aged 6 to 10, according to information from the Department of Education and Training, the number of children attending school from grades 1 to 5 is 633,036 (data for the 2023-2024 school year).

If the estimated number of children who have not received enough doses of measles vaccine accounts for 10% of the total number of children (the rate of not receiving enough doses of measles vaccine at this age is certainly lower than that of children from 1 to 5 years old), then the number of children from 6 to 10 years old who need to be vaccinated in the campaign is expected to be about 63,303 children.

Thus, the number of children from 1 to 10 years old needing measles vaccination in the campaign is estimated at nearly 125,000 children (including 60,733 children from 1 to 5 years old and 63,303 children from 6 to 10 years old).

As of September 9, 2024, Ho Chi Minh City had 19,821 children aged 1 to 5 years old vaccinated against measles, accounting for 32.6% of children aged 1 to 5 years old, and 15% of children aged 1 to 10 years old.

In order to effectively implement measles prevention and control work, ensuring that children have access to vaccines as soon as possible and safely, the remaining 70% of children from 1 to 5 years old and the group of children from 6 to 10 years old who have not received enough doses need to speed up the vaccination progress in the remaining 3 weeks of September 2024.

Particularly for children aged 6 to 10 years old who are required to be vaccinated, the vaccination must be implemented simultaneously from the third week of September 2024. The City's Measles Prevention Steering Committee requests the People's Committee of Thu Duc City, districts and towns to direct the People's Committees of wards, communes and towns and departments, branches and organizations (local police, neighborhood/hamlet management boards) and mobilize the network of community health workers and population collaborators in the area to focus on "going to every alley, knocking on every door, checking every subject" to make a list of children aged 1 to 10 years old who have not received enough doses of vaccination (regardless of permanent and temporary residence) and mobilize children to get vaccinated.

At the same time, speed up the vaccination progress at many vaccination points in the area (at schools, health stations, hospitals, private facilities, etc.) and strictly implement regulations on vaccination safety.

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, 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.

Doctor Bui Thi Viet Hoa, Safpo/Potec vaccination system, said that 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, according to Dr. Viet Hoa, 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 experience 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.

Source: https://baodautu.vn/hon-32-tre-duoi-5-tuoi-tai-tphcm-duoc-tiem-chung-vac-xin-soi-d224615.html