Of over 18,078 cases of rash in 56 cities and provinces countrywide, around 3,000 cases are positive for measles virus, said the Ministry of Health yesterday.

Noticeably, measles cases have not trended downward in several localities. Most of measles patients are living in mountainous and distant districts and in cities with many industrial parks and large population. The culprit pointed out by medical experts is low immunization coverage and peak season of the disease.

Due to complicated development of the disease, Health Minister Nguyen Thi Kim Tien has requested local administrations to enhance measures against it including raising immunization coverage to 95 percent; preparing expense for inoculation activities and closely monitoring measles cases in the jurisdiction to isolate infected cases.

The Ho Chi Minh City Preventive Medicine Center announced rise in measles, hand-foot-and mouth and dengue cases compared to same period last year. These diseases have shown no sign of abating.

Since the beginning of the year, the city reported 9,048 dengue cases whereas it was 2,547 cases last year or a year-on-year increase of 255 percent. Worse, two dengue –related deaths were reported in districts Tan Phu and Cu Chi.

Additionally, the city reported 388 hand-foot-and-mouth cases, a rise of 33 percent compared to the same period last year and 1,337 measles cases whereas it had been three cases in 2018.

Head of infectious disease management ward Dr. Le Hong Nga said during the past week, 97 measles inpatients were admitted into hospitals citywide. Measles has spread to 24 districts in the city.

Districts 8, Binh Tan and Binh Chanh have most cases of measles with 49 percent of measles children aged 18 months old to 10 years old. 96 percent of them are not vaccinated and more than 4 percent of them receive one shot against measles.

City dwellers are advised to take vaccine and keep good personal hygiene to prevent the disease.