Many new vaccines are expected to be included in the expanded immunization program.
In the coming time, the Ministry of Health will implement a plan to use new vaccines such as vaccines to prevent diarrhea caused by rotavirus, vaccines to prevent pneumococcal disease, and vaccines to prevent cervical cancer caused by HPV virus.
World Immunization Week is an annual initiative launched by the World Health Organization (WHO) to call on countries and organizations to take necessary actions to protect children and communities from the risk of illness and death from vaccine-preventable diseases, helping them live happier, healthier lives.
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| Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan spoke at the event. |
In Vietnam, there are currently 11 infectious diseases including Tuberculosis, Diphtheria, Whooping cough, Tetanus, Measles, Polio, Hepatitis B, Hib pneumonia/meningitis, Japanese encephalitis B, rubella, Rota deployed in expanded immunization.
Over the past 40 years, hundreds of millions of doses of vaccines have been given free of charge to Vietnamese children and women. The results of expanded immunization have contributed significantly to the eradication of polio in 2000, the elimination of neonatal tetanus in 2005, and a significant reduction in the rate of dangerous infectious diseases.
The Expanded Immunization Program is considered one of the most successful public health care and protection programs and has received great attention and support from the Party, State, Government of Vietnam, and authorities at all levels.
This program provides free vaccines and is implemented in all provinces and cities.
Vaccination Week in Vietnam was first organized by the Ministry of Health in 2011 in Phu Tho in response to the "Vaccination Week" launched by the WHO Western Pacific Region and has been maintained since then with the chairmanship of the leaders of the Ministry of Health and Government leaders.
With the risk of measles outbreaks in the world as well as in Vietnam, according to the warning of WHO, the Ministry of Health has coordinated with WHO and UNICEF to develop and issue a Plan to implement a measles vaccination campaign in 2024 with 1,134,200 doses of vaccine sponsored by the Australian Government through WHO.
The campaign is deployed at educational and medical facilities in districts at risk and with measles cases/measles outbreaks.
The vaccine is provided free of charge to children aged 1 to 10 years; health workers at risk at medical examination and treatment facilities treating measles patients have not received enough doses of measles-containing vaccine as prescribed.
To successfully implement this campaign, the Provincial People's Committee is interested in directing the Department and branches to develop and issue a local Plan, fully allocate funding, human resources, and equipment for vaccination sites including mobile emergency teams, organize vaccination sessions and monitor and handle post-vaccination reactions; promote the meaning and benefits of the Measles-Rubela vaccination campaign to staff and teachers of primary schools, preschools, and kindergartens, and mobilize parents to agree to let their children participate in vaccination.
For provinces and cities not yet covered by the plan, coordinate with the Institutes of Hygiene and Epidemiology and the Pasteur Institute to continue reviewing subjects, conducting assessments, identifying risk areas to prepare and develop a vaccination plan for the measles prevention and control campaign in the area if necessary.
At the online conference to respond to World Immunization Week and launch the measles vaccination campaign organized by the Ministry of Health on the afternoon of August 22, according to Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan, in the coming time, the Ministry of Health will implement a plan to use new vaccines according to Resolution No. 104/NQ-CP dated August 15, 2022 of the Government, including adding vaccines to prevent diarrhea caused by rotavirus, vaccines to prevent diseases caused by pneumococcus, vaccines to prevent cervical cancer caused by HPV virus... to have more opportunities to prevent diseases for people.
The expanded immunization program is considered one of the most successful public health care and protection programs in Vietnam today. Over the past 40 years, hundreds of millions of doses of vaccines have been vaccinated free of charge to Vietnamese children and women, contributing significantly to reducing morbidity and mortality.
In addition to the advantages and achievements, vaccination work still faces many difficulties and challenges, first of all, the situation of infectious diseases in the world is still unpredictable and difficult to predict, the recent Covid-19 pandemic has greatly affected the vaccination rate;
Next is environmental pollution, climate change, natural disasters, floods, storms, urbanization... creating favorable conditions for infectious diseases to reappear, spread and break out.
Especially at the present time, the whole country is entering the new school year, students of all levels are returning to school; there is a risk of contracting infectious diseases, especially some infectious diseases such as measles, whooping cough, hand, foot and mouth disease and some diseases transmitted through the respiratory tract.
According to Minister Dao Hong Lan, the Ministry of Health wishes to convey a message about the importance of vaccination, the role of authorities at all levels, domestic and foreign agencies and organizations in vaccination activities, and to promote the responsibility of people in proactively and voluntarily implementing full and timely vaccination to ensure that every child has timely access to vaccination.
With the name and meaning of responding to Vaccination Week 2024 with the theme "Joining hands to vaccinate and prevent epidemics for a healthy Vietnam", the head of the health sector called on parents to uphold their sense of responsibility and take their children for full and timely vaccinations for the health of their children in regular vaccinations and vaccination campaigns.
Consider vaccination not only as an individual's right and responsibility but also as a responsibility to the community.
The People's Committees of provinces and cities direct departments and branches to promote regular vaccination for subjects under the Expanded Immunization Program to ensure safety and effectiveness; review and organize catch-up vaccinations for subjects who have not been vaccinated or have not received enough doses of vaccines; mobilize families to take their children for full and timely vaccinations.
The Education sector closely coordinates with the Health sector in reviewing vaccination history, promoting and mobilizing families and parents to take their children for full vaccination on schedule according to the instructions of the Health sector.
Regarding the Measles Vaccination Campaign, the Provincial People's Committee is requested to direct the Departments and branches to develop and issue a Measles-Rubella Vaccination Plan, fully allocate funds, human resources, and equipment for vaccination sites, including mobile emergency teams, organize vaccination sessions, and monitor and handle post-vaccination reactions; disseminate the meaning and benefits of Measles-Rubella Vaccination to staff and teachers of primary schools, preschools, and kindergartens, and encourage parents to agree to let their children participate in vaccination.
To continue to maintain the achievements of the vaccination work, I suggest that the authorities at all levels, departments and organizations have paid attention but need to pay more attention and direct more closely, especially ensuring sufficient funding to implement local vaccination work, in which priority is given to funding for expanded vaccination implementation, funding for epidemic prevention of vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles, diphtheria, etc.
The Ministry of Health hopes that Vietnamese people will increasingly be vaccinated against dangerous infectious diseases.
In the coming time, the Ministry of Health will implement a plan to use new vaccines such as vaccines to prevent diarrhea caused by Rota virus, vaccines to prevent diseases caused by Pneumococcus, vaccines to prevent cervical cancer caused by HPV virus and consider reporting to the Government to add more vaccines to prevent other infectious diseases... to have more opportunities to prevent diseases for the people.
The Minister of Health called on each medical staff to enhance their responsibility, fully implement the vaccination process, hospitals need to participate more actively in the implementation of the newborn dose of hepatitis B vaccine within the first 24 hours, coordinate timely handling of post-vaccination reactions, vaccination facilities need to strengthen good management of subjects, ensure people are fully vaccinated, on schedule, safely, improve the quality and effectiveness of disease prevention.
Media agencies, news agencies, and newspapers need to step up propaganda and mobilization work so that people understand the benefits and effectiveness of vaccines and the importance of full and timely vaccination, and actively take their children for vaccination.
The Ministry of Health has requested international organizations such as WHO, the United Nations Children's Fund, the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI), etc. to continue to accompany and support the expanded immunization program in Vietnam, a country with a large population and complex infectious disease epidemiology.
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