(Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - The Drug Administration under theMinistry of Health has asked rabies vaccine suppliers andimporters to ensure stockpiles are built up to meet increasing demand.
According to rabies vaccine importing facilities, the country needs about 1.2million doses of the rabies vaccine until the end of this year to address thevaccine shortage.
The administration has ordered vaccination facilities to keep enough of thevaccine in the stock to meet demand for at least one month.
The health ministry has asked for detailed contracts between vaccine suppliersand vaccination facilities. The contract must mention quantity, price of eachvaccine type and date of vaccine arrival and clarify the responsibilities ofrelated sides.
The ministry advised vaccination facilities to sign contracts with differentsuppliers, not only one, to avoid dependence on only one source.
Vaccination facilities should contact with rabies vaccine importing facilitiesto order the vaccine.
There are four rabies vaccines qualified to be used in Vietnam, namelyAbhayrab, Indirab, Speeda and Verorab.
In the first quarter of this year, it was reported that medical facilities werelikely to face a shortage of rabies vaccine stockpiles to meet the increasingdemand when summer came.
According to the health ministry, 18 people died of rabies in the first fourmonths of this year. In 2017, rabies killed 62 people while the figure for 2016was 91 people.
The victims mostly were not vaccinated and lived in rural areas where localshave the habit of leaving dogs unleashed or do not have their dogs vaccinated.
There have not been any drugs to treat the infection. Rabies vaccinesand rabies immune globulin are recommended for infection prevention.
The World Health Organisation estimates 59,000 people worldwide die from thedisease each year.-VNS/VNA
VNA
