Measles cases on the rise, 3 dead

Most of the patients were from Lai Chau, Lao Cai, Ha Giang and Yen Bai provinces in the north.

Among the deaths, one was from Hanoi and the remaining two were from Yen Bai Province.

More than 1,000 people were diagnosed with the disease last year.

MoH's Preventive Medicine Department Director Tran Dac Phu said the situation in the nation's big cities, such as Hanoi and HCM City, was not the reason for worry as patients were not concentrated in particular areas and vaccination rates were high. However, he said the disease was still dangerous.

"The epidemic of scarlet fever, suspected to be measles, has spread across China. The disease spreads via respiratory means so it can be spread with people coming in and out of the two countries," he said.

Phu said vaccinations in remote provinces had encountered difficulties due to geographical challenges limiting access, with a recent survey of the department in Yen Bai Province showing only 20% of the residents had received enough vaccines.

MoH is planning a nationwide vaccination campaign in August this year for under-two-year-olds who did not receive the vaccine against measles. Provincial health departments are currently compiling the list of children for the campaign.

Nguyen Nhat Cam, director of the Hanoi Preventive Medicine Department, said that the city had about 700,000 under-five-year-old children and around 35,000-40,000 facing a high risk of contracting the disease.

The figures came as the number of children hospitalised in Hanoi for respiratory diseases and diarrhoea increased over the past two days, due to cold weather conditions.

Associate Professor Nguyen Tien Dung, head of the Bach Mai Hospital's Paediatrics Ward, said the number of children going to the hospital for respiratory disease checks on February 10-11 increased by 10% compared with previous days.

The National Paediatrics Hospital on February 11 received nearly 3,000 children seeking health examinations for illnesses.