A health official sprays disinfectant in a measles-infected house in Ho Chi Minh City. The outbreak threatens to develop into an epidemic, say health officials.

The Health Department has warned that Ho Chi Minh City faces a measles epidemic after 28 residents in 14 out of 24 districts have thus far been found infected with the virus.

Five of the 28 people tested positive for rubella. Rubella is a highly contagious viral disease, especially affecting children, that causes swelling of the lymph glands and a reddish pink rash on the skin.

Measles is a virus usually contracted during childhood. Symptoms include rashes and inflammation of the nose, throat, ears, mouth and bronchi, with adults most prone to more serious complications.

The department suspects that there could be a measles epidemic at the Phuong Hong Nursery School in Thu Duc District, which has reported three cases so far, all under five years old.

All the nursery children who had not been vaccinated thus far have now received their shots, the department says.

Two measles cases at a house on District 2’s Tran Quoc Toan Street and the Quoi Xuan Primary School in District 12’s Thanh Xuan Ward, where one seven-year-old student has contracted the disease, also pose the threat of sparking an epidemic.

Many people frequenting the school have shown measles symptoms, including the seven-year-old patient’s teacher and his father.

The school has also reported children infected with rubella.

Phan Van Nghiem of the city’s Health Department said he has instructed District 12 authorities to take precautionary measures against the spread of measles and rubella at the school and across Thanh Xuan Ward.

The department has enough measles vaccines on hand to prevent the disease from spreading, he assured.

Under the National Extended Vaccination Program, the department will offer free measles vaccines to all children 1-6 years old, 35-year-old or younger officials working in infected areas and those in regular contact with measles patients.

The HCMC People’s Committee has ordered districts with a high number of measles patients, including District 3 with four cases and Thu Duc District with six, to ensure due sterilization measures are undertaken in the neighborhood.

Meanwhile, the Preventive Health Bureau under the Health Ministry, Monday reported a total of 650 measles cases across the country, including 230 in Hanoi.

Measles have hit all 29 districts in the capital city, mostly people more than 18 years of age.

According to the National Institute of Tropical and Infectious Diseases, 15 measles patients had developed complications like encephalitis as of last week.

Reported by Thanh Tung