The World Health Organization (WHO) has completed an emergency purchase of more than one million doses of measles-rubella vaccines to help control outbreaks and bolster immunization efforts in Vietnam's highest-risk areas, said WHO Chief Representative in Vietnam Dr. Angela Pratt.
The WHO chief representative made the statement on August 22 at a conference in response to "World Immunization Week 2024" with the theme "Working Together for Vaccination to Prevent Disease for a Healthy Vietnam." The event also launched a measles vaccination campaign organized in cooperation between the Ministry of Health, WHO, and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
At the conference, Dr. Pratt praised the Vietnamese government, National Assembly, and Health Minister for their strong leadership over the past year in addressing vaccine supply issues. She also expressed her gratitude to Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, as well as other donors, for making the vaccine purchase possible.
She reaffirmed WHO’s commitment to working closely with the Ministry of Health to address the current situation in any way necessary, including effort to resolve vaccine shortages and enhance overall preparedness.
Dr. Pratt also noted that WHO aims to support Vietnam in introducing new vaccines into the national program to broaden protection against more diseases. This includes vaccinating the elderly against influenza, protecting mothers and infants from tetanus and whooping cough, preventing cervical cancer through HPV vaccination, and protecting young children from rotavirus and pneumococcal infections.
Additionally, the WHO representative recommended that localities experiencing rapidly growing clusters of cases declare outbreaks to swiftly activate response measures.
(Suc Khoe Doi Song [1], Vietnam Plus [2], Bao Thanh Hoa [3])