Japanese experts will likely come to Vietnam in mid-May to help transfer technologies for producing combined vaccines against measles and rubella for a long-term working period, state media reported. Accordingly, around 13 Vietnamese researchers will receive training in Japan starting mid-June under a $7.51-million project recently signed between the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and Vietnam’s Center for Research and Production of Vaccines. Under the project to be implemented in the next five years, a measles vaccine production facility, funded by the JICA, will be provided with new equipment to produce the new combined vaccine with an annual capacity of 7.5 million doses. Vietnam is expected to be able to produce the combined vaccine by end-2017 with an aim to protect children’s health and reduce the risk of children born with disabilities caused by mothers being affected by rubella in the first three months of pregnancy. The local health sector statistics showed that more than 4,000 pregnant women had rubella while more than 200 babies were born with congenital defects due to rubella in 2011. (Dau Tu – Investment May 3 p4)
