Vaccination is one of the greatest medical success stories that save 2-3 million lives every year, said Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long at a meeting held in the central province of Quang Ngai on June 3 in response to the World Immunisation Week 2017.
Long stressed that over 600 million doses of various vaccines have been given free to Vietnamese women and children under the National Expanded Programme on Immunisation over the past three decades.
A line-up of new vaccines have put into use, reducing deaths caused by infectious diseases, he underlined, adding that immunisation achievements have made significant contributions to protecting and improving healthcare, particularly for children in Vietnam.
However, the country still faces challenges, like late or insufficient immunisations for children in remote areas, which could spark a return of several contagious diseases, he said.
He took the occasion to call Vietnamese parents to vaccinate their children and medical staff to ensure safe and effective immunisation.
Hospitals need to provide infants with hepatitis B immunisation within their first 24 hours, he added.
A representative from the World Health Organisation in Vietnam lauded achievements of the National Expanded Programme on Immunisation in the past 30 years.
This year, the immunisation week highlighted the important roles of vaccines on people’s lives and sustainable development goals. Vaccines help change life and enable children develop healthily and have bright future.
The Immunisation Week was initiated in 2011 by the World Health Organisation. Some 180 countries and territories worldwide have joined the event.
To respond to the event, Quang Ngai province committed to promoting the immunisation campaign in the locality. Vaccination will be delivered to over 22,800 pregnant women, over 21,000 women of childbearing age and nearly 23,000 children over 1 year old.
