Parents should have their children fully vaccinated in the recommended schedule. (Photo: VNA) Ha Tinh (VNA) – Immunisation is one of the most important measures to protect the community from life-threatening and popular contagious diseases, said Deputy Minister of Health Truong Quoc Cuong.
He was speaking at a ceremony held in the central province of Ha Tinh on April 19 in response to the World Immunisation Week 2019 themed “Protected Together: Vaccines Work!”.
Cuong said that after 30 years implementing the expanded free immunisation programme, with high vaccination rate of more than 95 percent, Vietnam wiped out poliomyelitis in 2000, and eliminated neonatal tetanus in 2005. Many other diseases like measles, diphtheria and whooping cough have fallen significantly.
He said that parents should have their children fully vaccinated in the recommended schedule in order to create a barrier of immunisation for the whole community. Meanwhile, authorities at all levels should work to ensure sufficient money for the vaccination campaign, and assure the injection rate at 95 percent in all communes and wards.
In the coming time, the health ministry will add more vaccines to the expanded vaccination programme, he added.
According to the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology, the programme has been carried out in all cities and provinces nationwide since 1985. Free vaccination against ten most popular contagious illnesses has been open to all children aged 0-36 months, and women of childbearing age.-VNA
VNA
