Free rotavirus vaccine for children under 1 in 2025

The rotavirus vaccine will be included in the open immunization program nationwide in general and in Khanh Hoa Province in particular in 2025. The vaccine protects against rotavirus, a common cause of diarrhea

Preparation almost complete

Implementing the Provincial People's Committee’s plan to include the rotavirus vaccine in the open immunization program in 2024 and 2025, from mid-December, the Provincial Center for Disease Control has organized training sessions on preparation for giving rotavirus vaccine to children according to the instructions of the Ministry of Health; provide pre-vaccination screening, counseling and guidance on post-vaccination child care, monitoring, and detection of reactions. The open immunization program in the province has received 14,500 doses of rotavirus vaccine for children in 2025.

Giving the rotavirus vaccine to a child.

According to Specialist Doctor I Huynh Trong Tan, Head of the Department of Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases, Provincial Center for Disease Control, 90% of children in the province are expected to get 2 doses of the rotavirus vaccine.

The preparations for the vaccination in the province have neared completion and the vaccination will start at health stations in January. Approximately 15,000 - 16,000 children are expected to get the rotavirus vaccine for free by 2025. In January alone, this vaccine will be given to 2,800 children. At vaccination service centers, the rotavirus vaccine costs VND500,000 to VND800,000/ dose depending on the type and country of production.

Enhanced health protection for kids

According to the Ministry of Health, vaccines have been used worldwide for many years and are considered an effective and safe disease prevention tool. There are more than 30 infectious diseases that can be prevented by vaccines. Vietnam's open immunization program has offered free vaccinations against 10 diseases for children and pregnant women.

Vietnam has eliminated and reduced the incidence and mortality rates of dangerous infectious diseases in children such as polio, neonatal tetanus, measles, rubella, diphtheria, whooping cough..., contributing to significantly reducing medical costs and improving public health.

The rotavirus vaccine has been widely and safely deployed in more than 120 countries and territories around the world. The World Health Organization recommends that the rotavirus vaccine be included in national routine vaccination programs.

Pursuant to the Government’s Resolution No. 104 dated August 15, 2022, in June 2024, the Ministry of Health issued Circular No. 10 on the list of infectious diseases, the scope of mandatory use of vaccines and medical biological products, including the vaccination schedule for the rotavirus vaccine and Decision No. 1596 promulgating the open immunization schedule in 2024. The rotavirus vaccine will be included in the national routine vaccination program for kids in 41 provinces, including Khanh Hoa in 2025.

Thanks to investment by the Government and support by the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI), Vietnamese children in general and Khanh Hoa in particular will have access to a new vaccine, contributing to the prevention of dangerous acute diarrhea in children. The rotavirus vaccine has been produced domestically, ensuring sufficient supply for the open immunization program.

C.D

Translated by N.T