A child patient is being treated for measles in HCM City
The city has just received 300,000 doses of Measles-Rubella vaccine, which will be allocated to all health stations in 22 districts and Thu Duc City for the campaign.
According to the HCM City Centre for Disease Control, all local children aged one to five, regardless of their previous vaccination record and children aged six to 16 who are being treated at hospitals, regardless of their previous vaccination record, will be vaccinated through the campaign.
Children aged six to ten who have missed their routine doses of measles-containing vaccine and healthcare workers at risk of exposure to measles, will also be immunised.
HCM City People’s Committee has declared a measles outbreak in the city amid surging infection cases and three fatalities.
The campaign is expected to help increase the community immunity rate, reduce infections and prevent deaths from measles, particularly within high-risk groups of children who experience severe complications from measles, according to the department.
The city recorded 432 infection cases between May 23 and August 27 including three fatalities. Most of the patients are children below five, who are accounting for 73.20 percent of the infections. Meanwhile, the city measles vaccination coverage is currently below 95 percent.
The Ministry of Health has also urged local authorities to intensify their efforts to monitor and manage disease amid a surge in measles cases nationwide.
Data from the Department of Preventive Medicine revealed that measles cases surged by over 800 percent since the beginning of 2024 compared to the same period in 2023, with the disease spreading in several regions.