Over the past several days, parents in Vietnam’s capital of Hanoi have hurriedly had their children vaccinated for measles, which has killed 116 children nationwide, of which a half was in the capital city. Meanwhile, the Hanoi health authorities have yet to declare measles an epidemic.

>> Occupying 50% of measles mortality, Vietnam’s capital yet to declare epidemic >> Over 7,000 children catch measles in Vietnam; at least 111 die: report >> Vietnam ministry quadruples child mortality from measles to at least 108, epidemic declaration pending  On Friday morning, Tuoi Tre reporters witnessed the Hanoi Preventive Health Center crowded with parents who took their children there for vaccination. Nguyen Thi Kim Cam in Hanoi’s Tu Liem District, told Tuoi Tre that she wanted to have her 16-month-old baby vaccinated as soon as possible after hearing news that more and more children have contracted measles.

“I have applied for a day-off to take my baby there for vaccination,” the mother said. As the demand for vaccination has suddenly soared, the center has been overloaded, with as many as thousands of children coming everyday while it is only capable of serving 500-600 kids every day. The center gives out ordinal numbers to parents everyday and children are vaccinated in numerical order.

Therefore, many parents told Tuoi Tre that they previously had to take their kids back home after the working day ended without their children being vaccinated. On Friday afternoon, April 18, the Ministry of Health reported that 116 children nationwide have died of measles and its complications since the illness recurred in the country late last year. 

A few days ago, Dr, Nguyen Van Kinh, director of the Central Tropical Diseases Hospital in Hanoi, said over 7,000 children across the country have contracted measles. Health authorities estimated that the capital has occupied about 30 percent of the number of measles patients and 50 percent of the deaths from measles and its complications countrywide.Epidemic not yet declared However, the Hanoi People’s Committee has not declared measles an epidemic, maintaining that conditions for such a declaration are not met now. Meanwhile, at the closed-door meeting with Vietnamese health officials in Hanoi on April 17 , WHO Chief Representative in Vietnam Takeshi Kasai said that declaring a measles outbreak depends on each country’s consideration, while only three measles cases are already ‘enough’ for the declaration.   At a press conference held in Hanoi on Friday by the Ministry of Health to provide latest developments about measles, Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long said the ministry has yet to declare measles an epidemic. However, he stressed that this does not means the ministry has concealed the epidemic situation.

The ministry issued a notice of measles outbreaks late last year and requested that all children under 2 years old be vaccinated against the disease, Long said.    Also yesterday, Deputy Health Minister Nguyen Thi Xuyen issued the ministry’s updated instructions on diagnosis and treatment of measles intended for child patients under 9 months old and those in critical condition.

Although it is a benign disease, measles can cause serious complications that may lead to death, health experts have warned.

Measles can cause rapid immunodeficiency, leading to other diseases including pneumonia and diarrhea, which can be very serious and even cause death, said Tran Dac Phu, head of the Ministry of Health's Preventive Health Department.