Vietnam has just had pneumococcal vaccine 15, injected at VNVC Vaccination System

Pneumococcal vaccine 15 is produced by MSD Pharmaceutical Group (USA) with advanced technology, effectively preventing 15 strains of pneumococcal bacteria that cause many invasive pneumococcal diseases such as pneumonia, meningitis, sepsis and non-invasive pneumococcal diseases such as pneumonia, otitis media and sinusitis... The vaccine is used for children from 2 months of age and older (as early as 6 weeks of age) and adults.

According to information from the manufacturer, from 2022 to present, pneumococcal vaccine 15 has been approved in 65 countries and officially used in more than 40 countries worldwide .

On the morning of May 8, VNVC launched and deployed pneumococcal 15 vaccination at more than 220 centers nationwide. Photo: My Ngoc

Dr. Bach Thi Chinh, Medical Director of the VNVC Vaccination System, affirmed that pneumococcus is a dangerous infectious disease for both children and adults. Currently, there are many types of pneumococcal vaccines in the world that help increase protection against this dangerous bacteria. Currently, experts around the world recommend early and complete vaccination, combining many types of pneumococcal vaccines from different generations.

"Therefore, Vietnam has an additional high-tech vaccine, increasing the coverage of pneumococcal strains as a new weapon, adding to the strength of preventing infectious diseases for children and adults in our country. This combination helps strengthen the effectiveness of disease prevention and covers other dangerous pneumococcal strains in the vaccine," Dr. Chinh emphasized.

Thus, along with pneumococcal 10, pneumococcal 13 and pneumococcal 23 vaccines, VNVC's introduction of pneumococcal 15 vaccine to serve the Vietnamese people is in line with the general trend of the world, focusing on preventing dangerous respiratory diseases in children and adults, which spread rapidly in the context of a society with strong trade development as today.

Pneumococcal bacteria have more than 100 serotypes, usually residing in the throat of each person (called healthy carriers) and lying dormant waiting for an opportunity. When the body's immune system is weakened or has health problems, pneumococcal bacteria take the opportunity to attack organs such as the brain, lungs, blood... to cause disease. Pneumococcal diseases can cause epidemics from small to large, commonly in crowded living environments such as schools, companies, factories, nursing homes, and child care centers.

Present at the pneumococcal vaccine launch ceremony, Dr. Phan Trong Giao, Medical Director of MSD Vietnam said: "MSD is proud to have a long history in the field of pediatrics and pneumococcal disease prevention. Over the past decades, MSD vaccines have contributed to protecting the health of millions of children around the world. We are confident that the pneumococcal vaccine 15 with its wide coverage and good immunogenicity will provide a solid foundation to help protect the Vietnamese people, especially young children, from the burden caused by pneumococcus."

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that each year, approximately 1.6 million people worldwide die from pneumococcal diseases, mainly pneumonia, meningitis and sepsis. More than 90% of these deaths occur in developing countries due to low vaccination rates and poor medical conditions for early, accurate diagnosis and timely treatment.

Dr. Chinh also noted that, depending on the vaccination time and epidemiological conditions of each locality, the doctor will advise on the optimal pneumococcal vaccine and the age of the person being vaccinated. Pneumococcal vaccination is recommended as soon as possible when children reach the age of vaccination to protect against increasingly dangerous diseases caused by pneumococcus, including pneumonia, meningitis and sepsis...

In the past 8 years, in addition to pneumococcal vaccine 15, VNVC has joined many leading pharmaceutical companies in bringing dozens of new generation vaccines to Vietnam, increasing the opportunity for people to access vaccines on par with and in a timely manner compared to developed countries in the world. In 2024 and 2025 alone, VNVC has deployed 4 types of vaccines for children and adults, including the new generation meningococcal B vaccine, pneumococcal vaccine 23, dengue fever vaccine and herpes zoster vaccine. In 2025, VNVC is continuing to negotiate with manufacturers and distributors to soon bring in and deploy vaccination of other important vaccines for children and adults.

Perspective design of VNVC Vaccine and Biological Products Factory, expected to start construction in 2025

In particular, VNVC is moving towards mastering high-tech vaccine production technology, proactively supplying domestically while preparing to build the VNVC Vaccine and Biological Products Factory in Long An province with a scale of about 2,000 billion VND. The unit has reached an initial agreement to share experience and transfer vaccine production technology with the world's leading pharmaceutical companies such as Sanofi and Pfizer.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/viet-nam-vua-co-vac-xin-phe-cau-15-tiem-tai-he-thong-tiem-chung-vnvc-18525050814272565.htm