The usage of the HFMD vaccine has not yet been approved and licensed for circulation in the country.
In April alone, the Ho Chi Minh City Children's Hospital 2 received more than 900 outpatients with hand, foot and mouth disease being detected among children.
10 percent of infectious cases were hospitalized, increasing significantly over March and triple over the same period last year.
Most children with 2A-grade hand, foot, and mouth disease with moderate severity were reported.
Similarly, the Children's Hospital 1 recorded that the number of HFMD cases in April was higher than in the same period last year.
According to the Ho Chi Minh City Center for Disease Control, from May 6 to May 12, the city recorded 442 cases of hand, foot and mouth disease, an increase of 25 percent compared to the average of the previous four weeks, rising to 3,858 from the beginning of the year until now.
In 2023, the country recorded 180,983 cases of hand, foot and mouth disease, with 31 fatalities.
Doctor Truong Huu Khanh, Vice President of the Infectious Diseases Association of Ho Chi Minh City indicated that vaccination is the safest and most effective way of preventing infectious diseases, including hand, foot and mouth disease and dengue fever.
As for the dengue fever vaccine, on May 16, the Ministry of Health announced the approval for circulation of the first dengue fever vaccine in Vietnam.
Regarding the hand, foot and mouth disease vaccine, in 2023, the Ministry of Health also submitted a dossier for review and approval of licensing for circulation of the hand, foot and mouth vaccine.
Sharing with Sai Gon Giai Phong (SGGP) Newspaper’s reporter, Associate Prof. Dr. Le Viet Dung, Vice Director of the Drug Administration of Vietnam confirmed that vaccine against hand-foot-mouth disease has not yet been approved and is waiting for an evaluation to ensure the absolute safety to people.
Hand, foot and mouth disease is an infectious disease that mainly occurs in children under five years old. The disease could cause a few serious and life-threatening complications such as respiratory failure, myocarditis, heart failure, acute pulmonary edema and even fatalities.
