Ho Chi Minh City will resume the use of the five-in-one Quinvaxem vaccine from November 11 until the end of January, 2014 after it was declared to be safe.

According to the municipal Preventive Healthcare Centre, up to 72,000 children in the city will be inoculated with the vaccine per month.

In order to ensure the vaccination goes smoothly, the centre has directed its district medical stations to strictly comply with recommended procedures and provide people with post-vaccination symptoms.

On November 5, Hanoi also resumed the use of Quinvaxem vaccine for the expanded vaccination programme in the city.

Quinvaxem prevents five common, potentially fatal childhood diseases, including diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, hepatitis B and pneumonia, and meningitis.

Manufactured by the Republic of Korea’s Berna Biotec Company, Quinvaxem has been used in Vietnam since 2010.

According to the World Health Organisation, over 400 million doses of Quinvaxem have been administered in 90 countries since 2006.

Vietnam received 15.8 million doses, of which 15.2 million were delivered to localities from June 1, 2010, following the Government’s approval to use it in the expanded vaccination programme to protect infants under 12 months old against deadly childhood diseases.-VNA