Vaccines in short supply to fight pandemic outbreak

Minister of Health Tran Thi Chung Chien reports that Vietnam has 10% of households classified as poor families; 30% of population have no clean water; and 40% have no hygiene lavatories. Thousands of people have been gone down with infectious diseases such as cholera, typhoid and dysentery, resulting from repeated natural disasters such as floods and typhoons.

The Central Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology hosted the international workshop on vaccines for underprivileged people on January 12 in Hanoi, joined by representatives of the World Health Organisation (WHO), the International Vaccine Institute and health experts of ten countries.

Health minister Tran Thi Chung Chien reports that Vietnam has been short of vaccines for epidemic prevention, which creates many difficulties for fighting recent pandemics. With support from Sweden, America, Vietnam has successfully developed vaccines against cholera and typhoid. Immunisation programmes have covered up to 90% of children against diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus, poliomyelitis, measles and tuberculosis.

The workshop will outline a plan to help poor countries produce vaccines against cholera, typhoid and dysentery, especially those hit by the tsunami.

 

Category: Health