Measles prevention, mother plays a decisive role

In the first 3 weeks of January 2019, hundreds of children in Nghe An had rashes suspected to be measles. Photo: Thanh Chung

Can the doctor tell us more about the symptoms, transmission mechanism and complications of measles?

Measles is an infectious disease caused by the measles virus. The disease is transmitted through the respiratory tract, transmitted directly when the patient coughs, sneezes, or talks. The disease is common in children under 5 years old or can also occur in adults who have not been vaccinated against measles or have been vaccinated but have not received enough doses.

Symptoms of measles begin to appear about 10-12 days after exposure to the measles virus. Measles usually begins with a mild fever, accompanied by symptoms such as dry cough; runny nose; red eyes; intolerance to light; tiny spots with a blue-white center appear inside the mouth on the cheekbones; large, flat, overlapping red rashes appear in order from the head, neck, trunk, and then the arms and legs... After that, the patient may have a high fever of up to 40 degrees Celsius.

Measles is a benign disease, most cases have no complications and the disease will heal on its own. However, the disease can have serious developments when there are dangerous complications. This is one of the causes of high mortality rates in developing countries. After contracting measles, children are susceptible to complications such as: pneumonia, otitis media, acute diarrhea, encephalitis, laryngitis, blindness due to corneal ulcers, severe malnutrition, etc.

How is the measles situation in Nghe An at this time?

In Nghe An, measles occurs sporadically throughout the year. During the cold and rainy months, the disease can increase. According to the monitoring system, from the beginning of 2019 until now, the whole province has had 81 cases of measles-like rash scattered in communes, wards and towns across the province, with no major outbreaks. However, this winter-spring weather is favorable for measles to develop. Therefore, measles is at risk of spreading more strongly.

The weather this winter-spring season is favorable for measles to thrive. Currently, at the Department of Infectious Diseases, Nghe An Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital, there are 90 children with measles being treated. Photo: Thanh Chung

Among the 81 measles cases, there is an easily recognizable characteristic that the age of the children getting sick is very early, the majority of children are under 9 months old. This shows that many mothers have not been vaccinated against measles and rubella before pregnancy, so breast milk does not carry antibodies to help children become immune... A few children older than 9 months old who got measles were not vaccinated or had not received enough doses due to delayed vaccination or had acute illnesses so their families did not take them to get vaccinated.

Currently, to prevent measles, the Ministry of Health is researching to be able to make a decision to vaccinate children early from 6 months of age.

Vaccination is the key to preventing measles - what do doctors recommend about this?

Vaccination is the most effective way to prevent measles. When a child is 9 months old, the family should take the child to a medical facility to get vaccinated against measles and should get the second dose when the child is 18 months old.

Families need to regularly monitor their children's health. When children show signs of measles, they need to take them to the nearest medical facility for examination, timely treatment advice and notify the health authorities. When children have measles, they need to go to medical facilities for timely treatment, they should not treat themselves at home. In addition, families need to isolate sick children and not let them go to school to avoid spreading the disease in schools.

Families and schools need to regularly clean floors, toys, and utensils; keeping children clean will help reduce the risk of infection. For children with measles, cleanliness is essential, just be careful not to let the child get cold. If you do not bathe the child, the risk of secondary infection with other bacteria can easily cause other complications.

Measles prevention, what should mothers pay attention to?

3 months before deciding to get pregnant, the mother needs to get vaccinated against measles.

Pregnant women with measles are susceptible to secondary infections due to a weakened immune system, which can lead to many complications such as pneumonia, urinary tract infections, encephalitis, acute diarrhea, blindness, etc. For the fetus, in the first 3 months there is a very high risk of malformations and miscarriage. In the middle three months, the risk of malformations is lower, but can still cause stillbirth or miscarriage. In the last three months, the risk of malformations is not high, but can cause the mother to give birth prematurely or have a stillbirth.

Mothers who have no previous medical history should go to medical facilities for consultation, examination and vaccination against certain diseases such as measles, mumps, rubella, chickenpox, flu... at least 3 months before pregnancy.

For young children, colostrum from the mother provides a direct source of antibodies that strengthen the immune system to help the baby fight disease, so mothers need to make the most of their natural source of immunity through breast milk, especially in the first 6 months of life.

Children between 6 and 36 months of age are considered to have an “immune gap” because at this time their immune system is not fully developed, so weaning foods need to be appropriate to enhance their ability to resist pathogens through nutrition.

Once again, it is emphasized that not only children, but anyone who has not been vaccinated can get measles. Therefore, everyone needs to take the initiative to get vaccinated to protect themselves.

Thank you doctor!