There was a shortage of imported vaccines in Vietnam's immunisationservices when there was an outbreak of disease, a conference was told inHanoi last week.
The function was held to gather public and private comments on improving vaccination quality in the country.
Headof the Vietnam Association of Preventive Medicines, Nguyen Tran Hiensaid that an outbreak of disease caused an increase of market demandthat vaccine suppliers could not meet.
Many mothers refused freevaccines that were supplied under the national immunisation programme.They delayed vaccination of their children to wait for importedvaccines.
The World Health Organisation Vietnam warned that bydelaying vaccination or failing to follow the recommended nationalimmunisation schedule, parents put their children and the broadercommunity at serious risk of disease.
Hien said that many peopleprefer to pay for immunisation rather than free vaccines supplied undernational programmes. The Health Ministry supplies 12 free vaccines,including those for tuberculosis, diphtheria, polio and whooping cough.
Immunisationservices at hospitals and clinics, where people have to pay for theirchildren's vaccines, are considered more convenient and reliable. Thereare few reports about negative reactions after vaccination of those whoused vaccines supplied under national programme.
Hien said thatin Vietnam, pharmaceutical companies ordered vaccines from theiroverseas partners when they felt demand was rising.
"Vaccines can not be stored for long or recycled, so producers only make vaccines as ordered," he said.
"Ittakes about three months for vaccines to enter Vietnam, causing vaccineshortage at immunisation service during that period."
He saidthat once an importing company suffered losses after importing vaccineagainst chicken-pox, but the disease did not break out.
"Thecompany failed to sell chicken-pox vaccines at that time," Hien said,adding this made pharmaceutical companies cautious about importingvaccines.
Nguyen Thi Tuong Vi, a representative ofGlaxoSmithKline, a British multinational pharmaceutical company and avaccine distributor in Vietnam, said that world demand for vaccine6-in-1 had increased sharply, affecting the supply to Vietnam.
Hospitalsand clinics offering immunisation services announced the shortage of5-in-1 vaccine (against five diseases: polio, whooping cough,diphtheria, tetanus, and Haemophilus influenzae B (Hib)), and 6-in-1vaccine (for the preceding five diseases plus hepatitis B).
Shesaid that as a vaccine supplier, GlaxoSmithKline gave priority toproviding vaccine to nations that it had contracts with for years or tonations using vaccine 6-in-1 as the only vaccine.
Vietnam was not in priority list because vaccine 5-in-1 was included in its national immunisation programme.
Headof the Pharmacy Management Department under the Ministry of Health,Truong Quoc Cuong, said that it was necessary to increase vaccineimports to meet domestic demand.
The department called for administrative simplification to import vaccines.
Representativesfrom Department of Preventive Medicine under the Ministry of Healthsaid that communication was needed to help people understand more aboutvaccines provided under the national immunisation programme andimmunisation services.
The national programme had a sufficient supply of all vaccines for children aged less than five.
Vietnam expects to make vaccine 5-in-1 and 6-in-1 from 2018 to meet domestic market.
Accordingto WHO, in the last 25 years, vaccines have protected 6.7 millionVietnamese children and prevented 42,000 deaths from childhood diseasessuch as diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis and polio.-VNA
The function was held to gather public and private comments on improving vaccination quality in the country.
Headof the Vietnam Association of Preventive Medicines, Nguyen Tran Hiensaid that an outbreak of disease caused an increase of market demandthat vaccine suppliers could not meet.
Many mothers refused freevaccines that were supplied under the national immunisation programme.They delayed vaccination of their children to wait for importedvaccines.
The World Health Organisation Vietnam warned that bydelaying vaccination or failing to follow the recommended nationalimmunisation schedule, parents put their children and the broadercommunity at serious risk of disease.
Hien said that many peopleprefer to pay for immunisation rather than free vaccines supplied undernational programmes. The Health Ministry supplies 12 free vaccines,including those for tuberculosis, diphtheria, polio and whooping cough.
Immunisationservices at hospitals and clinics, where people have to pay for theirchildren's vaccines, are considered more convenient and reliable. Thereare few reports about negative reactions after vaccination of those whoused vaccines supplied under national programme.
Hien said thatin Vietnam, pharmaceutical companies ordered vaccines from theiroverseas partners when they felt demand was rising.
"Vaccines can not be stored for long or recycled, so producers only make vaccines as ordered," he said.
"Ittakes about three months for vaccines to enter Vietnam, causing vaccineshortage at immunisation service during that period."
He saidthat once an importing company suffered losses after importing vaccineagainst chicken-pox, but the disease did not break out.
"Thecompany failed to sell chicken-pox vaccines at that time," Hien said,adding this made pharmaceutical companies cautious about importingvaccines.
Nguyen Thi Tuong Vi, a representative ofGlaxoSmithKline, a British multinational pharmaceutical company and avaccine distributor in Vietnam, said that world demand for vaccine6-in-1 had increased sharply, affecting the supply to Vietnam.
Hospitalsand clinics offering immunisation services announced the shortage of5-in-1 vaccine (against five diseases: polio, whooping cough,diphtheria, tetanus, and Haemophilus influenzae B (Hib)), and 6-in-1vaccine (for the preceding five diseases plus hepatitis B).
Shesaid that as a vaccine supplier, GlaxoSmithKline gave priority toproviding vaccine to nations that it had contracts with for years or tonations using vaccine 6-in-1 as the only vaccine.
Vietnam was not in priority list because vaccine 5-in-1 was included in its national immunisation programme.
Headof the Pharmacy Management Department under the Ministry of Health,Truong Quoc Cuong, said that it was necessary to increase vaccineimports to meet domestic demand.
The department called for administrative simplification to import vaccines.
Representativesfrom Department of Preventive Medicine under the Ministry of Healthsaid that communication was needed to help people understand more aboutvaccines provided under the national immunisation programme andimmunisation services.
The national programme had a sufficient supply of all vaccines for children aged less than five.
Vietnam expects to make vaccine 5-in-1 and 6-in-1 from 2018 to meet domestic market.
Accordingto WHO, in the last 25 years, vaccines have protected 6.7 millionVietnamese children and prevented 42,000 deaths from childhood diseasessuch as diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis and polio.-VNA
