Ho Chi Minh City will commence a measles vaccination campaign at all health stations in its 22 districts and Thu Duc City on Saturday, the city administration said on Wednesday.  

The campaign will be launched given a decision made on Tuesday by the Ho Chi Minh City administration which declared measles an epidemic on August 27 in response to the rising number of cases and the recent deaths of three children from the disease. 

The goals of the vaccination campaign are to increase the rate of measles immunity in the community, proactively prevent furthering the epidemic, and reduce the mortality rate of those who contract the disease.

The vaccine used in this campaign is the Measles-Rubella (MR) vaccine produced by the Centre for Research and Production of Vaccines and Biologicals (Polyvac), which is based in Hanoi.

The Ho Chi Minh City Center for Disease Control (HCDC) has purchased 300,000 doses of the vaccine using the city’s budget. These doses will be delivered to the city on Friday, according to the Vietnam News Agency (VNA).  

Health workers involved in the campaign will work without a day-off during the four-day holiday, which will last from August 31 to September 3 and mark National Day (September 2).

The priority subjects for vaccination in this campaign are children aged one to five years old living in Ho Chi Minh City, and children who are considered to be “high-risk” - those who are aged six to 16 years old and are under treatment in hospitals, regardless of their vaccination history.

Other subjects are children aged six to ten who have yet to receive the full two doses of vaccine against measles, healthcare workers at risk of exposure to measles, and those caring for high-risk children who have not been inoculated or have not received the full two doses.

Currently, there is no specific treatment for measles, so community vaccination is the most effective way to prevent the disease, doctors said.

Measles can be effectively put under control only when the community immunity rate reaches 95 percent and every individual has been administered two doses of vaccine.

As an acute viral infectious disease, measles is easily transmitted through the respiratory tract when a sick person coughs, sneezes, or breathes, doctors warned.

Symptoms of measles include runny nose, cough, red eyes, watery eyes, and small white spots inside the cheeks, which usually begin 10-14 days after exposure to the virus. 

About 7-18 days after the exposure, rashes are usually seen on the face and neck before spreading to the arms and legs.

Measles complications can include blindness, encephalitis, severe diarrhea and associated dehydration, ear infections, and serious respiratory problems including pneumonia, among others, doctors said.  

From early this year till August 25, the total number of suspected measles amounted to 525, including 209 confirmed cases and three child deaths, HCDC reported. 

Meanwhile, the city recorded only one patient of measles in the 2021-23 period.

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