The National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology under the Ministry of Health just decided to allocate 434,000 doses of measles and DPT (diphtheria–pertussis–tetanus) vaccines to immunization agencies across Vietnam for children injections.

Of the allotment, 200,000 doses of measles vaccine are sponsored by the Center for Research and Production of Vaccines and Biologicals (POLYVAC) and 234,000 doses of DPT vaccine are financed by the Institute of Vaccines and Medical Biologicals (IVAC).

The Department of Infectious Disease Control at the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology will receive 238,400 doses for distribution to 28 northern provinces and cities.

The Pasteur Institute in Nha Trang City, south-central Khanh Hoa Province will get 45,640 doses, while its branch in Ho Chi Minh City will secure 113,960 doses. 

The Central Highlands Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology will acquire 36,000 doses.

The shipments of the measles and DPT vaccines will be delivered by Friday and Saturday, respectively.

For many months, many localities in Vietnam have faced a shortage of measles and DPT vaccines, which are domestically produced by POLYVAC and IVAC, respectively, due to problems with regulations on purchasing and supplying procedures.

As a result, Ho Chi Minh City has only hit 76.6 percent of its inoculation target under the Expanded Immunization Program so far this year, according to the municipal health department.

The capital city of Hanoi also has the same problem.

The national expanded program on immunization, which was launched in 1981, is providing children under one year old with immunization against 11 vaccine-preventable diseases in Vietnam.

Current compulsory vaccines used in the program include hepatitis B, tuberculosis, diphtheria, whooping-cough or pertussis, tetanus combination vaccines, polio, haemophilus influenzae type b, measles, Japanese B encephalitis, cholera, and rubella.

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