WHO and UNICEF provide 200,000 doses of 5-in-1 vaccine to Vietnam
VOV.VN - The World Health Organization (WHO) in the Western Pacific, and the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) have all agreed to provide 200,000 doses of the 5-in-1 vaccine for Vietnamese children to address vaccine shortages in the national expanded programme on immunization (EPI).
Health Minister Dao Hong Lan stated that the Ministry’s relevant agencies are completing procedures to receive the aid as soon as possible.
She added that Vietnam still has more than 65,000 doses of the 5-in-1 vaccine provided from domestic funding.
The vaccine, which protects against five child killers of diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, hepatitis B, and haemophilus influenza type B, will be prioritised to children in the 5-in-1 vaccine age group in remote and isolated areas, said Lan.
She revealed her ministry is continuing to work alongside other partners to purchase the vaccine.
The EPI is providing immunisation to 10 vaccine-preventable diseases in Vietnam, including polio, tetanus, measles, tuberculosis, hepatitis B, diphtheria, pertussis, pneumonia, and meningitis.
However, over recent times, due to policy changes and problems occuring with bidding and procurement mechanisms, some vaccines have not been provided.
According to the national expanded programme on immunisation, the shortage of some vaccines that began in mid-2022 has lasted until now, leaving many young children not fully vaccinated.