Due to a mistake by the delivery staff, 1,000 doses of rabies vaccine delivered to CDC Soc Trang did not meet quality standards, a representative of the supplier said.
On the afternoon of May 29, responding to VnExpress , Mr. Le Minh Hoang, representative of Bien Loan Pharmaceutical Company Limited - the supplier of rabies vaccine for the Soc Trang Center for Disease Control (CDC) - said the above, adding that "refusing to receive the vaccine is completely reasonable".
"We accept responsibility for errors in vaccine transportation and storage," he said.
Explaining the reason for the error, Mr. Hoang said that the company is adjusting its personnel. The staff responsible for delivery has just been newly recruited and the process is not clear, leading to the error. The batch of rabies vaccine has been returned to the company, waiting for the procedure to request permission from the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health to destroy it. At the same time, the company will work with the CDC of Soc Trang to deliver the new batch of vaccine. This number of vaccines is in the contract that Bien Loan provided a total of 4,000 doses to Soc Trang after winning the procurement bid.
On the same afternoon, a representative of CDC Soc Trang said that they had not received any response from Bien Loan, nor had they received a new batch of vaccines.
CDC Soc Trang refused to accept 1,000 doses of Speeda rabies vaccine, worth nearly VND160 million, because it was transported by a freight vehicle (a public goods transport vehicle) that did not ensure storage conditions. One package containing 100 doses of vaccine did not have a temperature monitoring device during transportation. The second package containing 900 doses of vaccine had an index from the temperature monitoring device of +15 degrees Celsius, while the vaccine storage conditions according to safety regulations are from 2 to 8 degrees Celsius.
This is the first time a customer unit has returned vaccines due to unsafe transportation.
Impact on vaccine quality
According to Dr. Nguyen Huy Luan, Pediatrics - Vaccination Clinic, University of Medicine and Pharmacy Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City, vaccines must always be kept at a safe temperature according to the manufacturer's recommendations, including during transportation or storage before use.
Dr. Nguyen Ngoc Anh Tuan, Pasteur Institute of Ho Chi Minh City, said that rabies vaccine must be kept at a temperature of 2-8 degrees Celsius, and does not require a specialized vehicle for transportation, but must be stored in specialized boxes with temperature monitoring equipment to ensure compliance with requirements.
Mr. Tuan also said that to evaluate the quality of the vaccine, it depends on each type of vaccine and the time it exceeds the storage temperature. However, in the case of the shipment in Soc Trang, it is best not to use the vaccine because it is not safe.
According to international practice, vaccines that do not meet quality standards must be destroyed and cannot be used for vaccination.
Rabies vaccine is given to people who have been scratched or bitten by animals (dogs, cats, rats, insects) to prevent rabies. The vaccination schedule is three basic doses on days 0, 7, and 28 from the date of being scratched or bitten by an animal; a booster shot is given after one year, and a booster shot is given every 5 years. This is the only way to prevent the disease. Once rabies has occurred, the mortality rate is 100%.
My Y - An Minh
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