Ho Chi Minh City plans to vaccinate children aged from one to fiveyears old against Japanese encephalitis from August in the wake of anincrease in the prevalence of viral encephalitis in the city and othersouthern provinces.
At recent meeting withofficials from the city’s district-level health centres on thedevelopment of diseases, it was reported that outbreaks of Japaneseencephalitis are likely to occur in District 9, and Hoc Mon, Cu Chi andBinh Chanh districts.
The disease, which is causedby a flavivirus that affects the membranes around the brain and canleave lasting damage to the central nervous system and even death, iswarned to reach its peak soon as it spreads through mosquito bites.
The current rainy season in the city breeds mosquitoes, the vectors inother diseases also, warned the Municipal Health Preventive Centre.
It recommended parents to strictly follow vaccination timing and dose schedule for their children against the disease.
In the first five months of this year, city doctors gave treatment to34 children who have suffered from several types of viral encephalitis,of which only Japanese encephalitis can be avoided by vaccination.
Since 1997, the national expanded immunization programme has includedJapanese encephalitis vaccination, focusing mainly on areas previouslyhit by the disease.
However, the continuousoccurrence of viral encephalitis made the Health Ministry come to adecision to launch vaccination against Japanese encephalitis on a largescale.
The city will give vaccination shots in all of its 24 districts following its measles immunization campaign.-VNA
At recent meeting withofficials from the city’s district-level health centres on thedevelopment of diseases, it was reported that outbreaks of Japaneseencephalitis are likely to occur in District 9, and Hoc Mon, Cu Chi andBinh Chanh districts.
The disease, which is causedby a flavivirus that affects the membranes around the brain and canleave lasting damage to the central nervous system and even death, iswarned to reach its peak soon as it spreads through mosquito bites.
The current rainy season in the city breeds mosquitoes, the vectors inother diseases also, warned the Municipal Health Preventive Centre.
It recommended parents to strictly follow vaccination timing and dose schedule for their children against the disease.
In the first five months of this year, city doctors gave treatment to34 children who have suffered from several types of viral encephalitis,of which only Japanese encephalitis can be avoided by vaccination.
Since 1997, the national expanded immunization programme has includedJapanese encephalitis vaccination, focusing mainly on areas previouslyhit by the disease.
However, the continuousoccurrence of viral encephalitis made the Health Ministry come to adecision to launch vaccination against Japanese encephalitis on a largescale.
The city will give vaccination shots in all of its 24 districts following its measles immunization campaign.-VNA
