U.S. CDC Gives Reagents to Vietnam for Diphtheria Investigation, Surveillance
The U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) handed over reagents to the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology (NIHE) under Vietnam’s Ministry of Health (MoH) for diphtheria investigation and surveillance on November 22, local media reported.
At the handover ceremony in Hanoi, Country Director for U.S. CDC Vietnam Eric Dziuban said that the U.S. CDC will continue to provide Vietnam with comprehensive technical assistance to enhance its lab capability.
The CDC will work with the MoH and NIHE to help them receive test items from the International Reagent Resource (IRR) for the surveillance of not only diphtheria but also other infectious vaccine-preventable diseases, he stressed.
Head of the NIHE Phan Trong Lan affirmed that the U.S. CDC is a crucial partner of the institute, especially in the Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA). NIHE expects to carry on cooperation with the U.S. CDC in improving the capability of the public health lab system in Vietnam as well as the country’s capacity for the Global Health Security Agenda implementation.
Diphtheria cases in Vietnam have steeply plunged in recent years thanks to expanded vaccination, down from 226 in 2020 to six in 2021 and two in 2022. The rate of children under two years old fully vaccinated for diphtheria has hit 80%-90% in the past five years.