Some localities in Vietnam have reported measles outbreaks; specifically, Hanoi has 300 infection cases, up 400 percent compared to last year. Worse, in some distant areas of the country, low rate of vaccination resulted in several outbreaks in the community.
Therefore, to prevent the disease, the Ministry of Health warned parents to take their kids from nine months old who are not fully vaccinated to medical clinics for immunization against measles.
Measles outbreaks killed at least 37 people in the European region in the first six months of the year with over 41,000 infection cases, up 70 percent compared to last year. France, Georgia, Greece, Italy, Russia, Serbia, and Ukraine all recorded more than 1,000 measles cases in the first half of 2018.
Even German and Russia which had eliminated measles had outbreaks. The measles status of Germany and Russia has been reclassified by the WHO to endemic as a result.
The measles virus can spread quickly through coughing, sneezing or personal contact with infected nose or throat secretions.
