Recently, a 4-year-old boy in HCM City was admitted to the hospital with persistent coughing. He was diagnosed with pneumonia as a complication from measles. His father revealed that the child had never been vaccinated because his mother was among the anti-vaccine parents.

Du Tuan Quy, Head of the Infectious - Neurology Department, said: "As of December 4, the department had treated 110 pediatric measles patients. The number of patients who have to be hospitalized has soared in recent weeks, from 80 to over 100 cases each week."

The hospital has found that most of these children have not been vaccinated or have not completed the two required doses. 

"This is a very concerning issue," Quy said.

Many parents are currently against vaccines due to fears of post-vaccination side effects like autism. In the Infectious-Neurology Department, 10-12 percent of parents of measles patients hold this belief.

Meanwhile, some children have not been vaccinated because parents forget the vaccination schedule, or the children are not healthy enough at the time for injection. Some children contract the disease before receiving all their doses.

In some regions, people still underestimate measles, viewing it as a mild illness with no need to vaccinate their children. In fact, measles is more contagious than other transmissible diseases.

One measles patient can infect 12-16 others. Measles' transmissibility is even worse than the Coronavirus that caused the COVID-19 pandemic.

If not detected early and treated promptly, children with measles may experience severe complications such as pneumonia, enteritis, or even sepsis.

Currently, 90 percent of cases in the department have complications, mainly pneumonia and enteritis. In children with normal immune system, the disease progresses mildly. However, for those with underlying conditions such as congenital heart disease, nephrotic syndrome, or cancer, the disease will progress and could lead to death if not treated promptly.

Quy stressed the need for vaccinations against measles. Patients with severe measles have to be hospitalized, consuming parents' time and costs. 

Measles is preventable with vaccines. Measles vaccines, if administered according to the schedule, can protect up to 98 percent against the disease.

He recommended that adults should also be vaccinated, especially pregnant women to protect them against serious complications like miscarriage or stillbirth.

Dr. Nguyen Le Nhu Tung, Deputy Director of the HCM City Hospital for Tropical Diseases at the 2024 Southern Region Infectious Disease Conference, noted that since the beginning of the year, the number of adult measles cases has increased sharply over previous years.

The hospital has treated 900 inpatient measles cases, and 65-70 percent of them are adults. 

Vo Thu