HÀ NỘI — Thirty-two cases of measles were recorded in Hà Nội in the first three weeks of 2019, mostly children who were under five years old and had not been fully vaccinated.

Deputy head of the Hà Nội Centre for Disease Control Khổng Minh Tuấn said in mid-2018, the municipal Health Department noticed the risk of measles was on the rise.

The department decided 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 per cent.

Hoàng Đức Hạnh, vice director of the department, said the disease, despite being under control at the moment, could escalate at any time.

He attributed the issue to parents who had delayed vaccinating their children over worries about side effects.

The first shot against measles was 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 Hà Nội Preventive Medicine Centre Nguyễn Nhật Cảm said measles cases were found across all districts in the city, not just localised in one area.

He said about 140,000-150,000 babies were born in Hà Nội per year and about 5 per cent of them were not vaccinated. — VNS