Providing mandatory vaccinations for children

Accordingly, the subjects and mandatory vaccination schedules in the Expanded Immunization Program include:

- Newborns: hepatitis B vaccination.

- Children under 1 year old: will have injections or oral vaccines: BCG (tuberculosis), bOPV (oral polio), DPT (diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus), hepatitis B, Hib (prevents 2 diseases: pneumonia and meningitis caused by Hib bacteria - this is a bacteria that causes pneumonia and purulent encephalitis in young children, very easily transmitted even through droplets when sneezing and coughing, especially easily transmitted to young children from 6 months to under 2 years old), IPV (injectable polio), measles.

- Children 18 - 24 months old: will be vaccinated against measles - rubella, DPT.

- Children 1 - 5 years old: will be vaccinated with Japanese encephalitis B vaccine.

Cung ứng vắc xin tiêm chủng bắt buộc cho trẻ nhỏ - Ảnh 1. — Measles and rubella vaccination at Oc Eo town medical station, Thoai Son district, An Giang

The above vaccines are provided by the state and are given free of charge to children under the Expanded Immunization Program. Pregnant women should receive tetanus vaccination according to the instructions of the medical facility.

The Department of Preventive Medicine also said that there will be new vaccines included in the expanded immunization program in the near future. In particular, children under or over 1 year old will receive the second dose of IPV vaccine (this vaccine is being administered free of charge to children from 9 months old nationwide under a project supported by GAV1); children from 7 years old will receive Td vaccine (to prevent diphtheria and tetanus, to be administered to children in high-risk areas according to the proposal of provinces and cities); children under 1 year old will receive Rota vaccine (a virus that causes diarrhea in young children).

Vaccines are introduced based on recommendations from the World Health Organization (WHO), the Ministry of Health's vaccine advisory council, and the epidemiological situation of infectious diseases in Vietnam.

Regarding the Td vaccine, the Ministry of Health said: From 2004 to 2012, diphtheria was basically controlled in Vietnam with an average of 21 cases per year. However, from 2013 to 2020, diphtheria outbreaks were recorded sporadically in some localities. Although the number of diphtheria cases in 2021 has decreased, the risk of the disease returning is always present, especially when the vaccination rate for diphtheria, whooping cough, and tetanus has decreased in many localities due to the impact of the Covid-19 epidemic.

To increase the rate of immunity against diphtheria and tetanus in the community, the Ministry of Health has coordinated with a number of localities to deploy Td vaccine for 7-year-old children in high-risk areas (where vaccination rates are low) and plans to expand the deployment of this vaccine over the years.

Diphtheria is an acute infectious and toxic disease caused by diphtheria bacteria. The disease is easily transmitted through the respiratory tract or through direct contact with secretions from the nasal mucosa of the patient or healthy carrier when coughing, sneezing, especially in crowded residential areas or places with poor hygiene conditions. Symptoms of the disease often include white pseudomembranes in the throat, larynx, nose, etc. Severe cases can cause complications and death.

The Ministry of Health has requested localities to review, forecast demand and plan to ensure the supply of vaccines in the Expanded Immunization Program for children.

According to WHO's assessment in Vietnam, due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, routine vaccination coverage for children has been interrupted (due to health centers being closed, families practicing social distancing, and the import and export of vaccines, syringes, and other medical supplies for routine vaccinations) causing nearly 67 million children worldwide to miss out on routine vaccinations. Vietnam is among the 20 countries with the highest number of unvaccinated children worldwide.

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