In 2024, the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology will introduce the Rota vaccine to prevent diarrhea caused by Rotavirus in the expanded immunization program for children. The Lao Cai Provincial Department of Health has registered, and it is expected that about 12,000 children in the area will be able to use this vaccine for free.
Rota vaccine to prevent acute diarrhea is currently provided at vaccination service rooms and health centers in districts, towns and cities. This is a vaccine with a fairly high price, so not every family can afford it.
According to a survey at the vaccination clinic in Lao Cai city, there are currently three types of Rota vaccines: the Belgian Rotarix vaccine costs about 800,000 VND, the Vietnamese Rota vaccine costs nearly 500,000 VND (children need to take 2 doses) and the American Rota Teq vaccine costs nearly 700,000 VND (children need to take 3 doses). The demand for this vaccine among parents in urban areas is high.
Ms. Nguyen Minh Lan in Pom Han ward, Lao Cai city, has a 3-month-old child. She shared: I gave my child the Rota vaccine so that he has antibodies to prevent the disease. My child is still young and has low resistance. If he is unfortunately infected with this virus, he will be very tired due to high fever and dehydration.
However, Rota vaccine is still quite unfamiliar to parents in the highlands. Ms. Vang Thi Hoa, Head of the Tung Chung Pho Commune Health Station, Muong Khuong District, said: The lives of people in the highlands are still difficult, so most of them depend on vaccines provided free of charge in the expanded immunization program, and do not have access to service vaccines. The provision of additional Rota vaccine in the expanded immunization program in the coming time is of particular importance in the care and disease prevention work for children in the highlands.
People are very excited about the news that there will be an 11th vaccine in the expanded immunization program. Ms. Sung Thi Do in A Lu commune, Bat Xat district shared: In the past, people did not understand and were afraid that their children would get sick if they were vaccinated, but now everyone is proactive. Every time the medical staff reminds them of the vaccination schedule, they take their children to the commune health station to get free vaccinations. I am very happy that there will soon be another free vaccine for poor children in remote areas to use.
Rotavirus is one of the leading causes of acute diarrhea in young children. Results of point surveillance in Vietnam in 2016 - 2021 showed that Rotavirus was the cause of 33.1% of children under 5 years old with acute diarrhea.
Dr. Mai Dai Thanh, Head of the Department of Infectious Disease Prevention, said: The number of children accessing Rota vaccines in the past has been limited due to the high cost. Currently, there are 3 types of Rota vaccines that have been licensed for circulation in Vietnam, including imported vaccines Rotarix (Belgium), RotaTeq (USA) and domestic vaccine Rotavin produced by the Center for Research and Production of Vaccines and Medical Biologicals. Through consultation with the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology, in 2024, Belgian and Vietnamese vaccines will be provided in the expanded immunization program. These vaccines are all for children under 6 months old, with a schedule of two doses at least 1 month apart.
The Department of Infectious Diseases, Lao Cai Maternity and Pediatrics Hospital regularly receives and treats children with acute diarrhea, including children under 1 year old. Doctor Hoang Tung, Head of the Department of Infectious Diseases, affirmed: Using Rota vaccine is one of the effective measures to prevent the risk of Rota virus infection. In addition, to prevent and control the disease, parents need to practice good personal hygiene for children by washing hands before eating and after going to the toilet, ensuring food hygiene and safety. Especially when children show signs of acute diarrhea, they need to be taken immediately to a medical facility for timely treatment.
Rotavirus is transmitted mainly through the digestive tract, contact with hands or objects contaminated with the virus. Rotavirus can also be transmitted through the respiratory tract. Children under 5 years old are at high risk of infection. When Rotavirus enters the body, there will be an incubation period of 2-3 days before the disease develops.
The disease starts suddenly with symptoms of vomiting for 1-3 days, followed by symptoms of diarrhea with vomiting and fever. When having diarrhea, children become dehydrated, affecting their physical condition. Children can die if not given timely emergency care.
Not only Rota vaccine, according to Resolution No. 104/NQ-CP on the roadmap to increase the number of vaccines in the Expanded Immunization Program for the period 2021 - 2030, there will be 3 more types of vaccines that will be vaccinated free of charge to people, which are pneumococcal vaccine from 2025, cervical cancer vaccine from 2026 and seasonal flu vaccine from 2030.
Expanded immunization is a program of profound humanitarian significance to protect children's health, reduce morbidity, sequelae and mortality in children from many dangerous infectious diseases. Every year, thousands of children in the province are vaccinated for free, parents need to take their children to be vaccinated fully and on schedule.
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