Vietnam to Receive 1.2M Doses of WHO-funded A/H1N1 Vaccine by Year-end

Vietnam expects to receive nearly 1.2 million doses of A/H1N1 vaccine from the World Health Organization (WHO) by the year-end, Deputy Head of the Preventive Health Department Nguyen Van Binh said. The vaccines will be used for high-risk groups, including pregnant women, the elderly and medical staff who are in direct contact with A/H1N1 patients, the Sai Gon Giai Phong newspaper cited Binh as saying June 15. The Ministry of Health has proposed the WHO to provide 200,000 doses in advance for trial vaccination because this is a kind of new vaccine, Binh noted. WHO has to date sent the swine flu vaccine to 49 nations, including four countries in the Southeast Asia region. Vietnam has not recorded any new patients of influenza A/H1N1 and A/H5N1 in May, the ministry said, adding that 11,211 people have contracted the A/H1N1 virus since the deadly virus was first detected in Vietnam last May, including 58 deaths. The organization has pledged to fund $4.2 million to help Vietnam to produce vaccines against A/H5N1, A/H1N1 and seasonal flu diseases.