A child is vaccinated at a Ho Chi Minh City hospital. Photo: Nguyen Mi
Not all parents in Vietnam are getting their children immunized against measles and rubella, even though vaccination is available at health centers nationwide, according to health experts.
“By delaying vaccination or failing to follow the recommended national immunization schedule, parents put their children and the broader community at serious risk of disease,” the World Health Organization Vietnam said in a recent statement.
Over the past few months, WHO and UNICEF have been working closely with Vietnam’s Ministry of Health to monitor the measles and rubella vaccination campaign for all children aged 1-14.
According to WHO, all vaccines under Vietnam’s national immunization program are free of charge, without shortage of supply, at commune-level health centers across the country.
WHO and UNICEF recommend that all parents and caregivers check the immunization status of their children to ensure that their vaccinations are fully up-to-date and to strictly adhere to the national immunization schedule without any delay, WHO said.
Vietnam’s expanded vaccination program provides 12 life-saving vaccines free of charge to all Vietnamese children.
According to WHO, in the last 25 years, vaccines have protected 6.7 million Vietnamese children and prevented 42,000 deaths from childhood diseases such as diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis and polio.
Đăng ký: VietNam News
