People flock to get measles vaccination

(Baonghean.vn) -On the morning of April 21, at Nghe An Preventive Medicine Center, Safpo vaccination room had hundreds of mothers and fathers bringing their children to get vaccinated against measles. Overloading occurred, many people waited until the third day but still had not been vaccinated.

People flocked to bring their children to get vaccinated at Safpo vaccination clinic. Nghe An Center for Preventive Medicine.

Recently, public opinion has been particularly concerned about the measles outbreak. The death of 112 children due to measles and measles complications, and the number of children infected with the disease nationwide has made many parents extremely worried. In Nghe An, although not the center of the epidemic, on April 18, the first death due to measles occurred, an 11-month-old baby from Dang Son commune, Do Luong district, which "stirred up" the fear and confusion of the people. Thousands of people have come to the medical center to wait for additional measles vaccinations and sweep injections. Not trusting the vaccines at ward and commune health stations, many parents accept service vaccinations for "peace of mind".

At the Nghe An Preventive Medicine Center on the morning of April 21, hundreds of mothers and fathers brought their children to get vaccinated against measles. Inside the vaccination room was packed with people, and outside was also crowded with people and vehicles. Most of them were children from 1 to 3 years old, but many older children, 5 to 9 years old, were still taken by their parents to be safe, "because who knows if the vaccination they received before might have "expired" now."

Mrs. Sau, in Hung Loc, Vinh City, held her grandchild and stood outside to avoid the stuffiness. She said: “I have 4 grandchildren, all of whom I have vaccinated at the service from small to large. Here, they examine the children first, give them advice before vaccination, and what to vaccinate. It is better to eat less and wear less, to use the money to vaccinate the children, for peace of mind, because vaccinating at home is not as good.”

The measles epidemic began to form and appear in Nghe An in January 2014. Up to this point, the whole province has had nearly 200 cases of measles. Of which, more than 10 pediatric patients were so severe that they had to be transferred to higher levels for treatment. Worry and confusion are the common feelings of many people in the face of the uncontrolled outbreak of measles in some cities across the country. The rush to get vaccinated at higher levels and get vaccinated for services has caused an overload, but everyone accepts and waits patiently.

Crowded to register for measles vaccination service in Vinh City

Many people said they have been waiting here for days but still have not been able to get their children vaccinated. Ms. Nguyen Thi Lan worriedly said: “I took my child to register for vaccination here for 3 days but have not been vaccinated yet. Before that, my child had been vaccinated with 1 shot, now I heard that many children have measles so I took my child to get the 3-in-1 shot. But there is only today left until the vaccine runs out, there are too many people, I don't know if I can wait for my child's turn..." It is known that most fathers and mothers take their children to get vaccinated with the 3-in-1 combination vaccine. The price for each shot like this is 160,000 VND/shot.

Talking to Mr. Pham Minh Dung - Deputy Director of Nghe An Preventive Medicine Center, he said: "Currently, in Nghe An, it cannot be said that there is a measles outbreak. The number of vaccines and medicines for children from 12 to 18 months according to the national target program is still guaranteed. But people are too worried about their children's health, so there is an overload at the medical center that provides vaccination services. Particularly, the supply of 3-in-1 vaccine cannot meet the demand. In the past 3 days from April 19 to 21, about 800 doses have been injected, and there is no more vaccine in reserve, nor enough vaccine to transfer.

Mr. Dung also added that the number of measles patients has increased recently, mainly due to cases of unvaccinated or under-vaccinated patients. The second is due to the process of the epidemic returning.

Mr. Pham Minh Dung recommends that parents should take care of and maintain hygiene for their children, and should not gather children for vaccination at large facilities, but should take them to health stations in wards and communes. Because too many children are exposed to one place without their parents knowing, it will cause cross-infection. On the other hand, vaccination does not have an immediate effect, but antibodies appear after 15 days. When children show signs of exposure, take them to the nearest medical facility.

Ho Lai