Following scandal of rabies vaccine and ineffective DPT vaccines produced by Chinese Changsheng Biotechnology, the Ministry soon publicized that no Chinese-made vaccine is used in the National Expanded Immunization Program.
Deputy head of the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology Dr. Duong Thi Hong told the media that Vietnam can manufacture many kinds of vaccines; therefore, no Chinese vaccine is used in the country.
Head of the Department of Preventive Health Dr. Tran Dac Phu added that Vietnam had no choice but purchase of foreign- made vaccines several years ago, notwithstanding, the country has four factories to produce 12 vaccines including one against tuberculosis, diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus, measles, polio, hepatitis A and B, Japanese hepatitis, cholera, typhoid and diarrhea caused by Rota virus.
Lately, the news that Changsheng Biotechnology was fined for making and selling more than 250,000 ineffective vaccines to inoculate children against diphtheria, whooping cough and tetanus to medical centers in the eastern province of Shandong was greeted with public outrage.
