Vietnam Yet to Have Plans to Include Dengue Vaccine in Immunization Program
At the Central Vietnam regional disease prevention conference on August 15, Associate Professor and Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Lien Huong emphasized that only one dengue vaccine has been licensed in Vietnam and there is no current plan to include it in the national expanded immunization program.
However, the Ministry of Health will work with the vaccine manufacturer to explore the possibility of a pilot vaccination program in a few provinces with high dengue rates, she added, noting that once new vaccines are developed and prices decrease, the idea of including them in the national program may be reconsidered.
In the meantime, the health ministry urged local authorities to strengthen public health communication, promote personal hygiene, and raise awareness about summer disease prevention measures. It also called for environmental sanitation campaigns and emphasized effective community outreach to highlight the importance of eliminating mosquito larvae to prevent dengue fever.
Statistics show that on August 6-13, Vietnam recorded 3,095 dengue cases, a slight increase from the previous week. So far this year, the country has seen 52,957 dengue cases and six deaths, marking a 15% decrease in cases and 10 fewer deaths compared to the same period in 2023.