Illustrative photo (Source: VNA)Hanoi (VNA) – Thirty-two cases of measles were recorded in Hanoi in the first three
weeks of 2019, mostly children who are under five years old and have not been
fully vaccinated.
Deputy head
of the Khong Minh Tuan said in mid-2018, the
municipal Health Department noticed a risk of infection rise.
The department then proposed to run an additional measles rubella vaccination
campaign for children aged between 1 and 5. The campaign, starting in November
last year, has to date vaccinated 574,191 out of the total 607,023 children,
equaling 95 percent.
Hoang Duc
Hanh, vice director of the department, said the disease, despite being under
control at the moment, can escalate at any time in the future.
He
attributed the issue to parents, who have delayed vaccinating their children
over worries about side effects.
The first
shot against measles is supposed to take place at nine months old and the
second shot at 18 months old, according to the Ministry of Health’s national
immunisation guidelines.
Between
January and August in 2018, the capital city recorded over 270 cases of
measles, compared to just 60 for all of 2017.
Director of
the Hanoi Preventive Medicines Centre Nguyen Nhat Cam said that the measles
cases were found across all districts in the city, not localised in one area.
He said
about 140,000-150,000 babies are born in Hanoi per year and about 5 percent of
the newborns are not vaccinated.-VNA
Source: VietnamPlus
