QUANG NAM (ANN/VIET NAM NEWS) – The Department of Disease Prevention (DDP) under the Ministry of Health has requested localities to urgently implement prevention and control measures following the death of two children and the illness of 200 others with fever and rashes in a suspected measles outbreak in Nam Trà My District, Quảng Nam Province.
According to the DDP, from January 25 to March 10, as many as 255 cases of children with fever and rashes have been admitted to hospitals and treated in Nam Trà My District.
A total of 104 children are being treated at medical facilities in the area, including the Nam Trà My Medical Centre (59), the Obstetrics and Paediatrics Hospital (35) and local medical stations (10). All of the patients are alert with reduced fever, and they can eat and drink, although they are still coughing.
About 149 children have recovered, but two have died.
Previously, the district’s Medical Centre collaborated with the provincial Centre for Disease Control to dispatch samples of potential measles cases, with 19 confirmed positive for the measles virus.
The two deaths were in Trà Dơn Commune.
Eight-year-old H.T.M.N., from Village 3, had a cough, high fever and diarrhoea since February 26, and stayed home from school.
Village health workers, teachers and village officials attempted to convince the family to bring the child to the commune’s health station for examination, but the family refused and chose to stay at home to pray.
A few days later, the child vomited and was not able to eat or drink, leading to exhaustion. The child died at 5pm on March 5. Currently, family members are in stable health condition, with no symptoms related to the disease.
The second case was 10-year-old H.T.N.D. from Village 2, who had a cough, fever and diarrhoea since March 2 and also stayed home from school.
Similar to the first case, despite the efforts of village health workers, officials and teachers to convince the family to take the child to the commune’s health station for examination, the family declined due to financial constraints. The child suffered from exhaustion and died at 4am on March 9.
The DDP stated that infections might persist in the short term, as Nam Trà My District is mountainous and primarily populated by ethnic groups. Individuals are scattered in the highlands, where travel conditions are difficult. According to the DDP, numerous locals still rely on customs like prayer when illness strikes.
Vaccinations and healthcare in the region have posed a difficulty for the health sector for numerous years.
Furthermore, throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, numerous children were not fully vaccinated for measles.
Simultaneously, a deficit of vaccines lasting several months in 2023 influenced the children’s vaccination rate in the region, resulting in a gap in community immunity.
A new vaccination initiative was initiated this month, achieving an almost 50 per cent vaccination rate in Nam Trà My District.
