HCM City's health sector ensures adequate vaccines as part of an expanded vaccination programme. — VNA/VNS Photo

HCM CITY — The health sector in HCM City currently ensures adequate vaccines as part of an expanded vaccination programme.

Any shortage of service vaccines depends on the agencies providing them, not the mandatory programme of the Ministry of Health, according to city officials.

Speaking at a press conference on COVID-19 prevention and control and related socio-economic issues in HCM City on June 23, deputy director of the HCM City Centre for Disease Control (HCDC) Nguyễn Hồng Tâm confirmed two types of preventive vaccines, including vaccines in the expanded vaccination programme and service vaccines.

Accordingly, vaccines in the expanded vaccination programme include 10 diseases according to Circular 38 of the Ministry of Health, which are completely free of charge, such as hepatitis B virus for infants and children under one year of age, tuberculosis, diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus, polio, Haemophilus influenzae type B, measles, Japanese encephalitis B and Rubella.

With regards to the shortage of hepatitis B, meningococcal, and flu vaccines at health facilities, most of them are service vaccines, Tâm said, adding that children will be given free hepatitis B vaccines.

The Hepatitis B vaccine is required to be administered within the first 24 hours after birth while tuberculosis vaccine is given within one month of birth.

In the case of children receiving service injections, if the medical facilities providing vaccination services lack vaccines for the above diseases, locals can take their children to the Children's Hospitals in HCM City to receive the service.  VNS