Children receiving measles vaccinations at Chi Lăng Primary School, Lạng Sơn City. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — With the growing risk of a measles outbreak, localities are ramping up vaccination efforts to curb the spread of the disease and build community immunity.

From early this year, Lạng Sơn Province recorded 19 measles cases. In response, the provincial health sector has accelerated an immunisation campaign across its 11 districts and cities, aiming to vaccinate 95 per cent of children within the target age group to establish herd immunity and prevent further transmission.

Local health stations in communes, wards and townships across province have launched large-scale vaccination drives for children. Healthcare facilities are also coordinating with schools to administer vaccinations on-site, following a review that revealed a significant number of students had not been fully immunised.

Nguyễn Ngọc Hưng, a resident of Chi Lăng Ward, Lạng Sơn City, realised that his eight-year-old child had missed the measles vaccination after reviewing the family’s immunisation records.

He praised the local health station and school for facilitating vaccinations for approximately 200 students, allowing them to receive their shots during break times, without disrupting their studies.

The Director of Tràng Định District Medical Centre, Dr Bế Văn Khánh, emphasised that disease prevention efforts include extensive public awareness campaigns and strengthened surveillance.

All 20 medical stations in the district have been instructed to promptly detect and manage cases to prevent community transmission.

On March 25, the district launched a targeted measles vaccination drive at local health stations, administering 588 doses by March 30.

The head of the Department for Infectious Disease Prevention at the Lạng Sơn Provincial Centre for Disease Control, Dr Dương Anh Dũng, said the province also launched an emergency vaccination campaign on March 24–25, including weekend clinics, after receiving 25,000 measles vaccine doses from the Ministry of Health. About 10,248 doses had been administered, achieving 90.2 per cent of the target.

According to the Quảng Ninh Province Department of Health, as of March 30, the province had successfully vaccinated 95.9 per cent of children aged six months to ten years, exceeding its target.

Several localities, including Đông Triều City, Quảng Yên Town, and Bình Liêu District, achieved full vaccination coverage. Other areas reported rates of at least 92 per cent.

On March 31, mop-up vaccination efforts continued in areas with lower coverage, including Hạ Long City, Uông Bí City and Vân Đồn District, to ensure comprehensive immunisation and reinforce community protection.

In response to the outbreak, Quảng Ninh health authorities initiated a large-scale vaccination drive in mid-March, prioritising areas with high case numbers, such as Hạ Long, Móng Cái and Cẩm Phả cities and Quảng Yên Town.

By the end of March, over 27,000 measles and measles-rubella vaccine doses had been administered across the province.

The Ministry of Health has issued an urgent directive for stricter measles control in healthcare settings as cases continue to rise nationwide, surpassing 2024 figures in the first quarter of 2025. Several measles-related deaths highlight the outbreak's severity.

Hospitals are being directed to enhance disease detection and infection control, while preparing for potential surges, including severe cases requiring intensive care.

Separate examination areas and dedicated treatment zones in infectious disease or paediatric wards are mandated, with strict isolation for critical patients.

Facilities must also expand public awareness efforts, optimise staffing and bed capacity, limit visitor numbers and enforce stringent infection control.

Stockpiling essential medicines and improving coordination between treatment and preventive healthcare units are key priorities in containing the outbreak. — VNS