Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Kim Tien said an additional 120 patients suspected of contracting measles were hospitalised across the country on April 18.

Centrally-run hospitals are overloded with children infected with measles

The Central Paediatrics Hospital received two child patients suffering from serious pneumonia and testing positive for measles virus. They are both less than 9 months old and had not been vaccinated against measles.

The Central Paediatrics Hospital is treating 230 patients of measles, with 18 using respirators. Other centrally-run hospitals like Bach Mai and Tropical Diseases are also providing medical services for measles patients.

Since the beginning of this year, as many as 3,256 out of 8,799 suspect patients have tested positive for measles virus. Twenty-five have died.

Five working missions of the Ministry of Health have fanned out to hospitals and hot spots to inspect measles prevention.

Vaccination a must

Professor Nguyen Tran Hien, director of the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology (NIHE), said vaccination is the most effective measure to prevent the disease.

Vietnam has carried out the national expanded immunisation programme since 1985 for children under 1 year old to prevent six child killers, including measles.   

Doctors say vaccination is the most effective preventive remedy against measles

If children less than 2 years old receive two measles shots as required, they might be immunized against the disease the whole life, Hien said,

Statistics show with the national immunization programme in place, measles incidence decreased 573 times in 2012 compared with 1984.

The Ministry of Health warned children should have the first shot when they are nine months old and receive the second shot nine months later.

It has implemented an additional inoculation phase for children from nine months to 2 years old across the country since February 2014.

To date about 300,000 eligible children have been vaccinated against measles, meeting 46.9% of the plan.

Measles has not been eliminated in Vietnam. Its cycle begins every 3 or 4 years, and it is being repeated in the 2013-2014 period. However, the incidences are much lower than the 2009-2010 period.