At a meeting on March 21 on dengue and summer disease prevention, Deputy head of the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology (NIHE) Dr. Tran Nhu Duong warned the possible outbreaks of dangerous diseases in the next time.

Vaccinationis the most effective way to prevent infectious diseases (Photo: SGGP)

Amongst these ailments, measles outbreak in the North is the most worried because it has developed complicatedly lately. Worse, the number of infected people has bee on the upward trend.

Statistically, since the beginning of the year, the country recorded over 90 cases of infections, a year-on-year increase of over 30 percent. In 2017, the country has reported 141 measles cases mostly in the North.

Noticeably, through epidemiological investigation, amongst cases this year, 54 are infants under nine months old.

Dr. Duong expressed his concern of he possible outbreak of measles especially between kids under the age of 15 and infants below nine months old. Moreover, as per the rule, measles will break out this year - the peak year of the disease.

In 2013-2014 the North has seen more than 5,000 cases of infections and over 100 kids died of the diseases. The rate of vaccination in disadvantaged and mountainous distract and in industrial parks is very low ; accordingly it is highly likely that risk out measles outbreaks.

Along with this, the disease transmitted quickly while babies’ resistance is weak.

Since the disease developed with more infe ction cases, Deputy Health Minister Nguyen Thanh Long pointed out Vietnam started the National Expanded Immunization Program since 1985 with more kids being vaccinated annually while many adults have not been vaccinated.

This explains why many kids below nine months caught measles because they are not inherited good immune from their mothers.

Subsequently, the Deputy Minister proposed related agencies administer vaccine for adults especially women in the child-bearing age.

The Ministry of Health plans to provide vaccination for kids at the age of six months old.

Mr. Long said next time the health sector will administer vaccine shoot against measles on infants from six months old instead of nine month old kids like present; additionally, more new vaccines will be added in the National Expanded Immunization Program such as locally-made measles - Rubella and polio vaccine in the form of injection to replace the oral kind.

SGGP