Vietnam officially launches dengue vaccination for first time
VOV.VN - Vietnam has officially begun administering Takeda’s dengue vaccine for the first time for children aged four and older.
The vaccine, which has been researched and developed by Japan’s Takeda Pharmaceutical Company over the past 45 years, is currently available in over 40 countries.
Takeda's dengue vaccine was first granted approval by the Ministry of Health in May for children from four-years-old and adults, whilst it is administered in two injections which are three months apart.
The vaccine is effective in preventing all four types of the dengue virus which cause the disease (DEN-1, DEN-2, DEN-3, DEN-4), with an efficacy of up to 80%, thereby reducing the risk of hospitalisation by as much as 90%.
In 2023, the country recorded more than 172,000 cases of dengue fever, of which 43 people died, according to the Ministry of Health.
The vaccination campaign is expected to help reduce the burden of disease for people, as well as the number of hospitalisations moving forward.
The Vietnam Vaccine Joint Stock Company (VNVC) has been assigned to deploy the campaign at nearly 200 VNVC centres nationwide.
