Rubella in Vietnam

02 Feb 2015

An outbreak of rubella has been has been reported by the media. The outbreak was first identified in January 2015, and occurred among the workforce of a furniture company in an industrial park in Binh Duong Province, neighbouring Ho Chi Minh City.

Around 138 employees have shown signs of rubella infection and as of 23 January 2015, 29 have been confirmed as positive for rubella virus.

An immunisation campaign against measles and rubella has been running in Vietnam since September 2014, targetting 23 million children aged between 1-14 years in 63 cities and provinces of the country. Thus far, 17 million children have received vaccination.

Advice for Travellers

Rubella infection has serious consequences for the unborn child if acquired by a woman during pregnancy. It should be confirmed that children have received their recommended doses of MMR at 12-15 months of age and again pre-school around 3 years 6 months. Two doses of MMR vaccine are required to give adequate protection.