The Ministry of Health inspects measles prevention and control efforts in Nghe An.

(Baonghean.vn) -On the morning of May 2nd, a delegation from the Ministry of Health, led by Professor-Doctor Nguyen Thanh Long, Deputy Minister of Health, inspected measles prevention and control efforts, measles vaccination programs, and catch-up measles vaccination in Nghe An province. Accompanying the delegation were Professor-Doctor Nguyen Tran Hien, Director of the Central Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology; and Associate Professor-Doctor Tran Dac Phu, Director of the Department of Preventive Medicine.

Receiving and working with the delegation were Distinguished Physician - Specialist Doctor Level 2 Bui Dinh Long - Director of the Department of Health, Dr. Nguyen Xuan Hong - Deputy Director of the Department, and relevant units under the health sector.

The Deputy Minister of Health visits measles patients in the infectious disease ward of the Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital.

At Hung Loc Commune Health Station in Vinh City, Deputy Minister Nguyen Thanh Long highly appreciated the involvement of the local government and the efforts of the health station staff in implementing measles vaccination and providing free measles vaccinations for children aged 24 to 84 months. After inspecting and visiting patients in the infectious disease ward, the measles intensive care isolation area at the Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital, and the infectious disease ward at Vinh City General Hospital, Deputy Minister Nguyen Thanh Long noted: The Department of Health needs to prioritize the Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital in handling the outbreak, thoroughly isolating the intensive care unit from the intensive care isolation area to avoid cross-infection. Vinh City General Hospital needs to allocate more beds to receive and treat measles patients.

According to the Department of Health's report, the Nghe An health sector has implemented decisive and comprehensive measures to combat the measles outbreak. Currently, the measles situation in Nghe An province has stabilized, and the number of cases has shown a downward trend. Following the Ministry of Health's directive, measles vaccination has been widely implemented in all 20 districts, cities, and towns. As of May 1st, 29,739 out of 30,840 children aged 9 to 24 months have been vaccinated against measles, reaching 96.6%, with the remaining cases to be fully vaccinated as soon as possible. In addition, in Vinh City, free measles vaccination has been provided to 9,334 out of 9,507 children aged 24 to 84 months, reaching 98.3%.

Working with the Department of Health, Deputy Minister Nguyen Thanh Long highly appreciated the efforts of the Nghe An Health sector in measles prevention and control in the past period, especially the acceleration of measles vaccination and catch-up vaccination achieving high results. The Deputy Minister also noted that in the coming time, the Nghe An Health sector needs to closely monitor the epidemic situation to respond promptly and effectively; it needs to connect health centers, hospitals, and health stations; further promote public awareness and guidance on measles prevention and control in the community and at home, how to care for children with measles and after measles; reduce the number of children with mild measles cases being transferred to provincial hospitals to avoid cross-infection and hospital-acquired infections leading to severe illness and death; strictly manage vaccination targets and schedules; select localities with high rates of measles to implement free vaccination; and effectively implement measures to prevent cross-infection in hospitals. Appropriate treatment pathways are needed; patients with mild measles should be treated at health centers, while those with more severe cases should be treated at Vinh City General Hospital… if this issue is not resolved, it will be very difficult to contain the measles outbreak.

On behalf of the health sector, Director of the Department of Health Bui Dinh Long expressed gratitude for the attention and guidance from the Deputy Minister and the delegation, and proposed that the Ministry of Health provide an additional 50,000 doses of measles vaccine for free vaccination of children in localities with high rates of measles. He also instructed Vinh City General Hospital to allocate an additional 30 beds in the infectious disease ward to accommodate and treat measles patients, and directed relevant units to immediately implement proactive measures to control the measles outbreak as soon as possible.

From Thanh