95% of Vietnamese Children Vaccinated for Measles-Rubella: Ministry

All districts across Vietnam have reached a measles-rubella vaccination rate of over 95%, according the Department of Preventive Medicine under the Ministry of Health (MOH), which is now urging all provinces to complete the immunization work to have 100% of communes with the rate above 95%. With support from the public-private global health organization GAVI Alliance, formerly the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization, from end-2014 to May 2015, the MOH conducted free measles-rubella vaccination for nearly 20 million children aged between one and 14 nationwide. At the commune level, 11,150 communes out of 11,173 communes total have over 95% of children vaccinated, with only 23 communes in the four provinces of Binh Phuoc, Cao Bang, Lai Chau, and Dak Lak having the rates ranging between 90% and 95%. During the immunization campaign, there were 15,866 cases showing mild reactions such as fever, pain at the injected spot, and headache, to the medicines, accounting for only 0.08% of the total vaccinations and below the warning from the vaccine producers. Meanwhile, there were eight cases with serious complications such as fever, seizure, and anaphylaxis post-vaccination. Under a current draft decree from the MOH, the state will compensate for families of children showing complications resulted from vaccination. The rates of compensation will depend on the seriousness of complications, with the highest rate equal to 30 times the basic salary level, which is calculated based on the monthly minimum wage of between VND2.15 million and VND3.1 million ($98-$142). The campaign is part of Vietnam’s the extended program on immunization (EPI), which has been implemented throughout the country since 1985 and supplied 12 kinds of life-saving vaccines free of charge to all Vietnamese children. Recently the Vietnamese government decided to allocate an additional VND24.69 trillion ($1.13 billion) to buy the five-in-one Quinvaxem and oral polio vaccine (OPV) serving the EPI due to a vaccine shortage. The country is striving to raise the localization rate of vaccine production, aiming to make 5-in-1 and 6-in-1 vaccines in 2018-2020. Vietnam needs about 200,000 doses of 6-in-1 vaccine a year and 100,000 doses of 5-in-1 vaccine a year. The World Health Organization recently said Vietnam’s vaccine management has met international standards. (baochinhphu.vn July 27, An Ninh Thu Do – Capital Security July 28 p7)