Gov’t chief calls for more effort to prevent measles

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has requested ministries, agencies and localities to double efforts to strengthen measles prevention.

The move came in the wake of rising measles cases in several localities.

Pham tasked the Minister of Health to inspect measles vaccination campaigns and early detect new disease outbreaks, supervise treatment work and protect health and life of patients.

The Minister of Education and Training was tasked to deploy disease prevention measures and early report suspected cases for timely isolation and encourage families to get their children be vaccinated.

Local authorities bear the responsibilities for early detecting outbreaks, vaccinating children.

Measles cases are surging in Ho Chi Minh City, with four deaths reported among local patients.

Since the start of this year, Viet Nam recorded over 2,000 measles cases, including 500 cases documented in Ho Chi Minh City.

As an acute viral infectious disease, measles spreads easily when a sick person coughs, sneezes or breathes.

Symptoms usually begin 10-14 days after exposure to the virus and include a runny nose, cough, red eyes, watery eyes, and small white spots inside the cheeks.

Rashes usually appear about 7-18 days after the exposure, usually on the face and neck, eventually spreading to the arms and legs.

Measles complications can include blindness, encephalitis, severe diarrhea and associated dehydration, ear infections, and serious respiratory problems including pneumonia, among others.

Earlier, on August 22, the Ministry of Health kick-started a measles vaccine campaign at 100 districts and communes of 18 localities in Viet Nam in a bid to prevent infection outbreak nationwide.