Measles cases are surging in Ho Chi Minh City, with four deaths reported among local patients and those transferred from other areas in 2024.

Health authorities are urging vigilance, particularly for unvaccinated children in schools and residential areas.

During the 45th week of this year, from November 4-10, 167 measles cases were recorded among residents in the city, 29 percent higher than the average of the previous four weeks, taking total local infections until then to 1,635 cases, including three deaths, the department said on Wednesday.

From early this year to November 10, the city also treated 2,565 measles cases transferred from other localities, with one of them dying.

During this period, Ho Chi Minh City treated 4,200 patients, with a total of four deaths. The health department partially attributed the rise in cases to unvaccinated students in schools and residential areas.

The agency cited a recent survey as showing that several students at 15 city schools were unvaccinated for measles, despite reports from these schools that all students had been immunized.

Even worse, two schools had not implemented any vaccination program.

Another survey of 51 local children aged one to 10 who contracted measles in week 44 found that 32 had not been vaccinated against measles.

Notably, 14 of the children surveyed were not vaccinated because their parents refused to take them to vaccination points, even though their kids were eligible for immunizations.

Among the group of 35 children aged one to five included in this survey, six had their addresses, as shown in the city's immunization information system, belonging to localities outside the city.

In addition, 23 percent of these children could not be found in the same system.

The health department noted that population movement and relocation may have impacted Ho Chi Minh City's recent measles immunization campaign, launched on August 31 for children aged one to 10.

The agency advised authorities across every district and in Thu Duc City to ensure local health centers work with educational offices to closely monitor vaccination efforts in all schools.

In parallel with continuing to vaccinate children aged one to 10, the department said it is preparing to inoculate those from six to under nine months old.

The agency also called on parents to have all their children in these age ranges vaccinated against measles.  

As an acute viral infectious disease, measles spreads easily when a sick person coughs, sneezes or breathes, warned Dr. Pham Ngoc Thach, deputy director of Children's Hospital 2 in the city.

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

Rashes usually appear about 7-18 days after the exposure, usually on the face and neck, eventually 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, Dr. Thach said.

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