Vietnam Health Ministry: Parents Should not Wait for Pentaxim Vaccine

Vietnam’s Ministry of Health (MoH) Tuesday advised parents to take their children to medical clinics nationwide to get Quivaxem vaccine instead of waiting for Pentaxim vaccine, state media reported. Waiting for the Pentaxim is very dangerous for the children’s health and causing the risk that the disease could flare up again, said MoH, adding that children should get Quinvaxem in the National Expanded Program for Immunization. Quinvaxem is a WHO prequalified drug given to infants in Vietnam for free as part of a national immunization program to protect against diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, hepatitis B, and Haemophilus influenza type B infections. The information on the serious vaccine shortage added fuel to the desperation of many parents across the country, especially in big cities like Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, as they were counting the days until the arrival of Pentaxim. Coping with the scarcity of the 5-in-1 vaccine in Vietnam, many parents have taken their children to hospitals in Singapore for inoculation despite higher costs. (vov.vn Dec 30)