HANOI (ANN/VIET NAM NEWS) – Vietnam has recorded more than 42,000 cases of measles and five deaths related to the disease since the beginning of 2025. However, many parents and caretakers are not fully aware of the danger of measles to young children.
Dương Văn Phương’s son, a nine-month-old boy nicknamed Bo, started experiencing a cough and fever a week ago.
When Phương took his child to a private clinic near their home in Hanoi for examination, the boy was said to have middle ear inflammation and was given instructions for treatment at home.
However, after two days, his condition worsened with persistent high fever and coughing even with medication.
“We then took him to Saint Paul General Hospital, where he was diagnosed with measles. All of the ventilators available here were occupied, so we had to transfer him to Hà Nội Children’s Hospital,” Phương told Voice of Vietnam (VOV).
“When he was admitted, the doctor said one of his lungs showed up entirely white on the X ray, as part of it had collapsed, therefore he needed to be on continuous ventilation. Only then did we truly realise the danger he was in,” said Phương.
Bo was not vaccinated against measles, unlike his eldest sibling.
Phương said that his oldest child previously had measles but thanks to full vaccination, the symptoms were mild. The child also recovered quickly and thus was not isolated from the younger siblings.
When asked why the family did not take Bo to Hà Nội’s measles vaccination drive, Phương explained that he and his wife were so occupied with work that they were not aware of the campaign.
Dr Trương Hữu Khánh, former head of the Infectious Diseases and Neurology at HCM City’s Children’s Hospital 1, said that measles is an acute infectious disease transmitted through the respiratory tract caused by the measles virus.
Symptoms include fever, inflammation of the eye’s conjunctiva, inflammation of the respiratory and digestive tracts, and red rashes that progress from the face to the body of the patient.
Without prompt treatment, the patient’s condition may deteriorate, resulting in complications like encephalitis, pneumonia, middle ear infection, diarrhoea and even death.
Measles can be treated at home but it requires diligent observation and adhering to the doctor’s prescriptions, he clarified.
Khánh also suggested paying attention to children’s nutrition, dividing meals into smaller portions and encouraging them to eat to boost immunity.
When they show signs of respiratory distress, rapid breathing, chest retractions or seizures, the family should immediately take them to the hospital to avoid dangerous complications.
The doctor added that a common misconception about measles is that the patient should ‘avoid wind and water.’
He explained that this baseless abstinence can cause the child to feel more uncomfortable due to increased itching, leading to disrupted sleep. This further leads to fatigue and decreased appetite, causing a decline in the child’s immunity.
Instead, parents can wipe the child’s body with lukewarm water, which can minimise the risk of the child catching a cold leading to secondary pneumonia. Moreover, the child should stay in a well-ventilated room.
In the current situation where measles outbreaks remain complicated, parents and caretakers should ensure that children aged six months and older receive the measles vaccination, said Khánh.
If parents are uncertain whether their child has been fully vaccinated against measles, additional vaccination is recommended as the vaccine is safe for the child’s health.
The doctor also advised that children diagnosed with measles will not require vaccination after recovering from the illness. Nonetheless, for infants under 12 months old, where measles diagnosis is challenging, parents may still choose to provide supplementary measles vaccination.
