Once the Quinvaxem vaccine runs out, children can receive a catch-up vaccination with a new vaccine starting from the end of September.

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It has been reported that in September, the preventive health center of District 9, Ho Chi Minh City, ran out of Quinvaxem vaccine for children aged 2 to 9 months. The health station will announce when the vaccine becomes available – excerpt from a notice from the health station of Tang Nhon Phu ward.

Not only in Ho Chi Minh City but also in several other localities, the Quinvaxem vaccine has run out and is awaiting new supplies. The Quinvaxem 5-in-1 vaccine is administered to children at 2, 3, and 4 months of age, protecting against diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, hepatitis B, and pneumonia/meningitis caused by Hib bacteria, as part of the National Expanded Immunization Program.

According to Professor Dang Duc Anh, Director of the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology, the manufacturer in South Korea has stopped producing this vaccine. Therefore, the remaining Quinvaxem vaccines will be used up and replaced with a new vaccine. The Ministry of Health has planned to switch from using Quinvaxem to a similar 5-in-1 vaccine with comparable components and effectiveness in preventing disease to replace it.

Accordingly, the chosen vaccine is called ComBE Five. This is a combination vaccine that protects against five dangerous infectious diseases in children: diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, hepatitis B, and pneumonia/meningitis caused by Hib bacteria. It is manufactured in India and has been in circulation in India since 2010. The ComBE Five vaccine has been approved for circulation in Vietnam (Decision No. 196/QD-QLD dated May 30, 2017) and is valid for 5 years.

According to Professor Duc Anh, the ComBE Five vaccine has now been imported into Vietnam and is undergoing testing. It may be available for vaccination of children as early as the end of September, replacing Quivaxem.
Dr. Duc Anh stated that the new vaccine is safe and has been tested, but according to regulations, any imported vaccine must undergo further testing.
Professor Anh advised that young children who are currently receiving the Quivaxem vaccine but are experiencing a shortage of the vaccine can wait for later vaccination without any problems. He added that parents should not worry too much about children who are two months or older and are due for the 5-in-1 vaccine, and should wait until the end of the month for the new vaccine.
Children who have received one or two doses of the Quinvaxem vaccine will continue with the next dose of the ComBE Five vaccine and do not need to restart the vaccination program. The Ministry of Health recommends that parents continue to have their children fully vaccinated according to the schedule of vaccines in the expanded immunization program to prevent dangerous infectious diseases.

In Vietnam, the vaccine was used in field trials in four districts of Ha Nam province from September 2016 to January 2017. The results showed that only common reactions were observed on the first day after vaccination, including: local injection site reactions such as pain and redness (5-15%) and fever (34-39%). No severe reactions were recorded after vaccination.