BS.CK II Nguyen Minh Tien – Deputy Director of City Children’s Hospital – said: Even in the hospital, cases with congenital heart disease and not vaccinated against measles, the rate of cross-infection is very high. fast. Thus, a huge risk is that we cannot control unvaccinated cases, as well as allowing measles to spread in the community and in hospital environments.
Ho Chi Minh City quickly checked and gave additional vaccinations to children
According to data reported by the City Center for Disease Control on the epidemic situation, from the beginning of the year to June 9, 2024, 16 cases of measles were recorded in Ho Chi Minh City. Of these, from June 3 to June 9 alone, Ho Chi Minh City recorded 9 measles cases. Most cases are in children who have not been vaccinated against measles.
Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the interruption in the supply of vaccines in the Expanded Program on Immunization in 2022, it has affected the vaccination rate of children, many children have not been vaccinated on schedule, have not been vaccinated. Get enough vaccinations.
From the beginning of 2023, when the vaccine supply began to return but was not complete, Ho Chi Minh City began implementing a plan to make up for vaccinations for unvaccinated children. When the situation of expanded vaccine supply becomes stable in 2024, the Department of Health of Ho Chi Minh City has deployed mass vaccination at all commune, ward and town health stations across the city to increase coverage. Vaccine coverage, proactively prevent dangerous infectious diseases for children.
According to the report, by the end of April 2024, the rate of 18-month-old children vaccinated with 2 measles shots for children born in 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 is 93.2% respectively; 90.1%; 91.7% and 93.6%.
This coverage level meets the minimum target required by the Ministry of Health, but does not meet the target set by Ho Chi Minh City of over 95%, which is the necessary coverage level to create community immunity to prevent outbreaks. develop and move towards the goal of eliminating measles (according to the World Health Organization and the US Center for Disease Control). According to Dr. Le Thi Hong Nga – Deputy Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Center for Disease Control, city Currently reviewing the list of children on the national vaccination information system, detecting children who have not been fully vaccinated will be invited to be vaccinated according to the health sector’s vaccination schedule. For children in the community, the health sector has also mobilized a network of community health collaborators to reach out and mobilize children to come to health stations to be vaccinated.