A child receives a measles shot at a vaccination center in HCM City. — Photo baotintuc.vn

HỒ CHÍ MINH — Measles cases are returning in southern Việt Nam, raising concerns among health officials.

The resurgence of measles has been noticeable in HCM City, where 16 confirmed cases have been reported this year.

At Children's Hospital 1 in HCM City, four children are being treated for measles complications, including pneumonia and thrombocytopenia.

All four have not been vaccinated against measles due to either being too young or their parents not taking them for vaccination.

"These children are at high risk of serious complications when they contract measles," warned Dư Tuấn Quy, Head of Infectious Diseases and Neurology Department at the hospital.

The decline in vaccination rates is attributed to disruptions in the Expanded Programme on Immunisation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, coverage rates for measles have fallen below the 95 per cent threshold required for herd immunity.

The situation is not unique to HCM City. Across southern Việt Nam, vaccination rates for measles have been consistently low in recent years, notably in Bình Phước, Kiên Giang and An Giang.

Nguyễn Vũ Thượng, Deputy Director of HCM City Pasteur Institute, expressed concern about the potential for a widespread measles outbreak in the region.

He said the low and uneven vaccination coverage rates for measles in the provinces would create a favourable environment for the disease to spread. He called for increased efforts to identify and vaccinate unvaccinated or under-vaccinated individuals to prevent outbreaks.

The Ministry of Health has instructed local authorities to develop contingency plans for responding to measles and other vaccine-preventable diseases and called for measures to expand measles vaccination campaigns to reach unvaccinated populations. —VNS