Vaccines: Steel shield protecting people's health

Vaccines: "Steel shield" protecting people's health - Part 5: Strategic investment for sustainable development

Every dollar invested in vaccines saves hundreds of dollars in disease treatment. Investing in vaccination is a strategic investment for sustainable development, as it brings huge economic and social benefits.

Billions of doses of vaccine have contributed to repelling the Covid-19 pandemic, helping the world in general and Vietnam in particular to emerge from an unprecedented health crisis in history. However, at present, millions of people, especially children, are still facing a series of terrible diseases with a high risk of death due to a lack of protective vaccines.

  According to experts, only by focusing on investing human resources, material resources, and funding in research, production, and vaccination, and at the same time, people themselves have a correct understanding of the effectiveness of vaccines, can we create a "steel shield", helping each individual avoid the burden of disease, contributing to building a physically healthy, intellectually developed nation, ensuring a happy future.

Efforts to ensure safe vaccination

To provide good health care for the people, the Ministry of Health is making every effort to provide people with access to more and more quality vaccines.

Mr. Hoang Minh Duc, Director of the Department of Preventive Medicine (Ministry of Health)

Specifically, in the set roadmap, the Ministry of Health will implement a plan to use new vaccines, such as vaccines to prevent diarrhea caused by Rota virus, pneumococcal disease, 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.

In addition, the Ministry of Health also strengthens supervision of safe vaccination processes at both central and local levels; rectify the vaccination system, promote regular training for expanded vaccination staff as well as service vaccination on vaccination safety regulations...

Vaccination creates a solid foundation for the future

Thanks to expanded immunization, Vietnam has achieved remarkable achievements, such as eliminating polio in 2000, eliminating neonatal tetanus in 2005, and significantly reducing the incidence of measles, diphtheria, and whooping cough... The mortality rate in children under 5 years old has decreased significantly, from 58 per thousand live births in 1990 to 23.3 per thousand in 2016.

Associate Professor, Dr. Pham Quang Thai, Head of the Northern Expanded Immunization Office (National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology)

In addition, expanded immunization also helps reduce the number of sick days and hospitalizations, reduce health care costs, and reduce people's time and effort due to not having to take care of sick children.

Expanded immunization also helps children stay healthy, develop physically and mentally comprehensively, creating a solid foundation for the future.

Vaccines reduce the burden on health workers

Vaccination significantly reduces the risk of illness and death, especially from infectious diseases.

Mr. Vuong Anh Duong, Deputy Director of the Department of Medical Examination and Treatment Management (Ministry of Health)

As we have seen clearly from the Covid-19 pandemic, vaccination has brought positive results, reducing morbidity and mortality, while reducing the severity, severity, and number of days of treatment (if infected). Thereby, helping to reduce treatment costs for people, families and the whole society.

When vaccination coverage is high, the burden of disease is reduced, which means the health sector reduces treatment pressure, reduces hospital overload, and health workers have time to conduct scientific research, provide intensive care, and improve the quality of patient treatment. These impacts are the long-term benefits of vaccination that people should not ignore for their own health and to contribute to promoting a healthy and happy society.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has repeatedly affirmed that vaccines are very safe.

To be officially used worldwide, all vaccines must undergo thorough research and rigorous production to ensure vaccine efficacy and safety.

Mr. Khong Minh Tuan, Deputy Director of CDC Hanoi

However, anything introduced into the body is considered a foreign element and can cause certain reactions, and vaccines are no exception. Most people after being vaccinated will experience some common reactions, such as local reactions (swelling, pain, redness, itching at the injection site, sore arm), or systemic reactions (fatigue, lethargy, mild to moderate fever, nausea, diarrhea or digestive disorders, etc.).

However, these are common side effects, indicating that the immune system has been activated to protect the body, are usually not dangerous, and will subside and disappear after 1-2 days without treatment.

Boycotting vaccines is a crime against a generation

Without vaccines, the number of children dying and suffering lifelong disabilities from diseases will increase. Therefore, boycotting vaccines is a crime against a whole generation. Vaccines are the result of science. It is because so many people die and suffer from diseases that scientists work so hard to research and produce vaccines.

Dr. Truong Huu Khanh, member of the National Immunization Evaluation Council

To bring a vaccine to market, the State must spend thousands of billions of VND, along with the efforts, dedication and time of many people, so everyone has the right to believe that vaccines are tools and weapons against many dangerous epidemics.

There needs to be a policy to train and attract human resources to carry out vaccination.

In the context of the current threat of infectious diseases, the task of preventive medicine in general and the role of vaccines in particular is very important. For this work to be truly effective, the State needs to focus and invest more in vaccines.

Associate Professor, Dr. Tran Dac Phu, Senior Advisor, Center for Public Health Event Response (Ministry of Health)

Accordingly, in addition to allocating resources to vaccine research, production and distribution, more attention and appropriate remuneration should be paid to staff working in vaccination.

At the same time, there is a policy to train and improve the qualifications of staff in this field, ensuring that when coming to vaccination facilities, people have safe access to vaccines, minimizing possible risks.

Besides, the State needs to have more policies to train and foster domestic and foreign experts in vaccine research and production.

At the same time, cooperate internationally to mobilize capital to implement research programs and tasks, master and transfer technology to produce vaccines to prevent emerging, dangerous, and highly contagious diseases.

Vaccines aren't just for kids

There are still some people who think that vaccines are only for children and this is not true. For adults, vaccination is also very important to protect health and avoid many dangerous diseases. Adults need to be vaccinated with many types of vaccines to protect themselves from infectious diseases that the body does not have immunity to.

Dr. Nguyen Tuan Hai, Safpo/Potec Vaccination System

In addition, it is also necessary to re-vaccinate some vaccines that were given in childhood, such as vaccines against whooping cough, tetanus, hepatitis B, etc., because the protective effectiveness of these vaccines decreases over time.

Source: https://baodautu.vn/vac-xin-la-chan-thep-bao-ve-suc-khoe-nguoi-dan---bai-5-khoan-dau-tu-chien-luoc-cho-phat-trien-ben-vung-d225977.html