Resolved measles vaccine shortage for the Expanded Immunization Program

Regarding the information that the measles vaccine supply has been interrupted for the past three months, at a press briefing on the afternoon of June 17th, Dr. Hoang Minh Duc, Director of the Department of Preventive Medicine ( Ministry of Health ), stated that the budget for purchasing vaccines for 2024 will only be decided at the end of 2023. Therefore, the bidding process will only be completed at the end of 2023.

In early January-February 2024, the new vaccines were completed and are now being delivered in batches to localities for vaccination from now until October 2024.

Mr. Duc said that, to date, Vietnam has received 17 out of 21 million doses of measles vaccine and distributed them to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the provinces. From April to June, sufficient measles vaccine was supplied for the expanded immunization program, ensuring that 7.5% of children receive the measles vaccine each month.

"The Department of Preventive Medicine has advised the Ministry of Health to review all children nationwide who have not been vaccinated against measles. Localities with children who have not received all the required doses will organize catch-up vaccinations to prevent the measles outbreak from escalating," Mr. Duc said.

Measles cases have been on the rise since the beginning of the year, particularly in Ho Chi Minh City, with an alarming increase in the number of unvaccinated children.

According to the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health, the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and the disruption of vaccine supply in the Expanded Immunization Program in 2022 affected vaccination rates, resulting in many children not being vaccinated on schedule or not receiving all the required doses.

Since the beginning of 2023, when the vaccine supply started to return but was still insufficient, Ho Chi Minh City implemented a plan to administer catch-up doses; however, the coverage rate has not yet met the requirements.

The number of children who have received both doses of measles vaccine at all ages has not reached 95%, the coverage level necessary to create herd immunity. In particular, vaccination results in the first months of 2024 show a delay, especially for the single measles vaccine dose given at 9 months of age.

Outside of Ho Chi Minh City, many localities still have low measles vaccination coverage, with some areas experiencing low vaccination rates; many parents forget their children's vaccination schedule or miss doses, leading to an increase in the disease.

In 2024, Vietnam is in a 4-5 year cycle of potential measles outbreaks. The World Health Organization warns that the measles vaccination rate in 2023 was low, and if full vaccination is not implemented, there is a high risk of an epidemic.

Source: https://nhandan.vn/bo-y-te-da-giai-quyet-tinh-trang-thieu-vaccine-soi-cho-chuong-trinh-tiem-chung-mo-rong-post814751.html