Due to recent interruptions in vaccination due to lack of vaccines, along with erratic weather conditions, many diseases such as whooping cough, measles, rubella, and syncytial virus are increasing. Along with that, diseases transmitted from animals to humans, especially rabies and influenza A/H5N1, are also having complicated developments.
Consequences of vaccine interruption
The Outpatient Department of Children’s Hospital 2 in Ho Chi Minh City in recent days has always been overloaded with adults bringing children to visit. According to Dr. Dang Nhat, on average each day the hospital’s outpatient infectious disease clinic receives 30-50 children for examination, an increase of nearly 10% compared to February. The Infectious Diseases Department alone currently has over 20 children hospitalized for treatment. Inpatient treatment of a number of infectious diseases, including some cases of dengue fever, hand, foot and mouth disease, typhoid, chickenpox, whooping cough…
At the Department of Infectious Diseases and Neurology, Children’s Hospital 1 in Ho Chi Minh City, there are currently nearly 30 children being treated, of which about 10 serious cases are being actively monitored in the emergency room. Doctor 2 Du Tuan Quy, Head of the Department of Infectious Diseases – Neurology, Children’s Hospital 1, said that from the beginning of March until now, the department receiving inpatient treatment of children with infectious diseases increased by about 5% compared to the previous month. Meanwhile, vaccination interruptions also cause many children to contract measles and rubella.
Statistics from the Central Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology (Ministry of Health) show that in the past 3 months, the whole country recorded 78 cases of typhus suspected of measles in the northern provinces and cities and 10 cases of measles. rubella. According to the World Health Organization’s warning, 2024 is the year measles outbreaks are at risk of breaking out every 4-5 years, while measles is an infectious disease with a rapid spread rate of 90%-100%. % of people who have not been vaccinated or have never had the disease and come into contact with the disease source will become infected. One person infected with measles can infect 20 healthy people. According to statistics from the National Infectious Disease Surveillance System, from the beginning of 2024 until now, the country has recorded about 70 cases of whooping cough, mainly in some provinces and cities in the Northern region.
Dr. Dang Nhat, Outpatient Department, Children’s Hospital 2, Ho Chi Minh City examines pediatric patients. Photo: QUANG HUY
Associate Professor Dr. Pham Quang Thai, Deputy Head of the Department of Infectious Disease Control, Central Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology, informed that most cases of whooping cough have not been vaccinated or have not been fully vaccinated. More than 50% of children with severe pertussis have a source of infection from their mothers and are infected during the immune gap in the first 3 months of life. Children who have not been fully vaccinated against pertussis are at highest risk of infection and often develop severe illness.
Be alert for diseases transmitted from animals
Recently, a number of diseases transmitted from animals to humans, especially rabies and influenza A/H5N1, are increasing again. According to Mr. Hoang Minh Duc, Director of the Department of Preventive Medicine (Ministry of Health), in just the first 3 months of this year, 16/63 provinces and cities had rabies cases in humans, 27 deaths (an increase of 170% compared to compared to the same period in 2023), of which the Central region has the highest number of deaths (9 cases). In the South, the number of people vaccinated against rabies is the highest in the country, up to 143,000 people. More worryingly, after more than 8 years of not recording human cases of bird flu, from 2022 up to now, 2 new cases have been recorded, including 1 death in Khanh Hoa last March.
The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Binh Duong province has just requested the functional unit to vaccinate dogs and cats against rabies (periodically and additionally), ensuring a vaccination rate of over 70% of the total approved dog and cat population. statistics in the period 2023-2025 and from 80% or more in the period 2026-2030. Along with that, the province strives to build at least 2 more district-level rabies-free zones by 2030; 100% of districts, towns and cities have rabies vaccination sites and anti-rabies serum for humans.
XUAN TRUNG
Currently, about 200 infectious diseases transmitted from animals to humans in the world have been recorded with many different agents. In the past two decades, many dangerous and emerging epidemics have occurred worldwide, such as plague, SARS, avian influenza A/H5N1, influenza A/H1N1, MERS-CoV, Ebola… and most recently is Covid-19, causing serious impacts on human health as well as major impacts on the socio-economics of countries. Mr. Hoang Minh Duc said that it is worrying that up to 75% of dangerous diseases are transmitted from animals to humans or have genetic origins from animals.
Vietnam has identified 5 types of diseases that need to be prioritized for prevention: highly pathogenic avian influenza, rabies, anthrax, streptococcus swine, and leptospirosis because these are diseases with very high mortality rates in humans. high (even up to 100%) and expensive treatment and prevention costs. “In the coming time, the risk of disease outbreaks transmitted from animals to humans will continue to occur. To respond to these challenges, the combined efforts of the entire society and the support and cooperation of the international community are needed. In addition to the responsibility of the health sector, it is necessary to have the active participation of relevant units such as Agriculture and Rural Development, industry and trade, local authorities and especially the proactive participation of people and communities to proactively prevent and effectively and thoroughly resolve infectious diseases transmitted from animals to humans to contribute to caring for and protecting people’s health,” Mr. Hoang Minh Duc commented.
