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Deputy Director of the HCMC Center for Disease Control (HCDC) Le Hong Nga speaks at the conference |
Deputy Director of the HCMC Center for Disease Control (HCDC) Le Hong Nga said this at yesterday’s press conference to inform about socio-economic issues and epidemic prevention in the city chaired by Deputy Head of Propaganda and Education Board of HCMC Party Committee Pham Duc Hai.
Talking about the vaccine supply for the program, Deputy Director of the HCMC Center for Disease Control (HCDC) Le Hong Nga said that up to now, Ho Chi Minh City has not received notification of vaccine supply from the Ministry of Health. The southern largest city received vaccines in early October - the latest supply of vaccines.
She revealed that currently, most vaccines in the expanded vaccination program are out of stock. Moreover, the tetanus vaccine and the Japanese encephalitis vaccine are expected to run out in December and January 2024.
To date, Ho Chi Minh City has about 2,871 children under 1 year old who have not been vaccinated with all 3 doses of the 5-in-1 vaccine while 3,362 children have not been vaccinated with the first measles dose - the most important vaccine for children under 1 year old. Moreover, 8,882 children under 2 years old have not yet received their second measles shot and roughly 18,084 children have not received their diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis booster shots when they are 18 months old.
According to Ms. Nga, vaccine interruption will put children at risk of getting dangerous diseases. If the entire community is not fully vaccinated, the vaccine coverage rate will be low, leading to the risk of many disease outbreaks, including measles, diphtheria, and whooping cough.
