"There is no precedent for requiring a reaction test after vaccination."

Vietnam, like all countries in the world, has no precedent for requiring a reaction test before deciding whether or not to administer a vaccine. Therefore, the regulation requiring a reaction test before administering the Hepatitis B vaccine is inappropriate.

Associate Professor Do Sy Hien, former Head of the National Expanded Immunization Program, shared the above information at a seminar on expanded immunization on the Government's electronic information portal on the morning of August 2nd.

According to Associate Professor Hien, pre-vaccination allergy testing for biological vaccines is only for antiserums, such as rabies and tetanus vaccines. In this case, pre-vaccination allergy testing is performed because there is a certain rate of reactions and shock. In cases of anaphylactic shock after vaccination, if detected early and treated according to the correct protocol, children will recover and be healthy.



Illustration photo: Duong Ngoc.

Regarding the current practice of requiring family members to sign a commitment form for administering the Hepatitis B vaccine to newborns, Professor Nguyen Tran Hien, Head of the National Expanded Immunization Program, affirmed: "Such implementation is not in accordance with the regulations of the Ministry of Health. Safe and high-quality immunization depends on the immunization process, which in this case is the role of healthcare workers at the immunization site, such as organizing the vaccination session, storing and transporting the vaccine, post-immunization procedures, and record keeping… That is the responsibility of the immunization site and the healthcare workers."

However, according to Professor Hien, the vaccination record should require mothers to cooperate more closely with healthcare workers. For example, when taking their children for vaccinations, they should bring the vaccination record, carefully read the poster about the vaccination procedure, and compare the vaccination practice to see if it conforms to regulations. If it does not conform, the family has the right to refuse vaccination and remind the healthcare worker to follow the correct procedure.

In addition, mothers must inform healthcare workers about their child's medical history, health status before vaccination, and any reactions to previous vaccines, so that doctors can make appropriate recommendations. Mothers also have the right to ask healthcare workers, "What vaccine is my child receiving today? How should I monitor my child?" Children need to be monitored for 30 minutes at the vaccination site and then for 1-2 days at home after vaccination.

The issue of new and old generation vaccines, acellular vaccines, whole-cell vaccines, etc., has also been discussed by many experts. Professor Nguyen Tran Hien believes that comparing acellular and whole-cell vaccines requires consideration from two aspects. In terms of safety, acellular vaccines are safer, meaning they have fewer local side effects, not fewer serious adverse events. The WHO assesses the rate of severe reactions after vaccination for both types as similar. From a biological standpoint, there are studies worldwide suggesting a review of acellular vaccines because in some countries, the immune response is lower than that of whole-cell vaccines, and when using them, booster shots should be considered.

Professor Nguyen Dinh Bang, former Director of the Central Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology, also stated that the Japanese encephalitis and polio vaccines have very low rates of adverse reactions. The encephalitis vaccine produced in Vietnam for the past 3-4 decades not only has low adverse reactions but also provides high protection, contributing to the reduction of Japanese encephalitis in our country. Previously, hundreds of children were hospitalized every summer, with most dying, and those who survived often suffered severe sequelae, including dementia… Currently, the number of children hospitalized due to this disease is low.

In addition, Vietnam has exported 5 million doses of Japanese encephalitis vaccine in recent years. The polio vaccine has virtually no side effects. Thanks to this, our country eradicated polio in 2000, becoming one of the first countries in Asia to do so.

"Vietnam is very up-to-date with global vaccine production technology and is pursuing a policy of producing vaccines using new technologies, such as recombinant DNA technology for hepatitis B and injection technology for polio… However, to have a new vaccine, it must go through a research process from the laboratory, testing on volunteers, and ensuring safety before large-scale production is licensed for use by the people. This process takes at least 5 years," Professor Bang said.

Regarding concerns that free vaccinations provided by the State may pose more risks than privately-funded vaccinations, Professor Bang stated that claiming privately-funded vaccines have fewer side effects than those in the expanded immunization program is inaccurate, unfounded, and requires further research. "To date, no studies have concluded that one vaccine has fewer complications than the other. Therefore, I believe mothers should feel reassured and take their children for vaccinations, choosing vaccination centers that suit them," Professor Bang said.

Vaccines are stored at a temperature of 2-8 degrees Celsius throughout all stages of the vaccination process. Vaccines imported from abroad or distributed by manufacturers to regional institutes in Vietnam are transported by air and stored at the appropriate temperature.

From regional institutes – which have cold storage facilities – vaccines are transported to provinces every two months using specialized refrigerated vehicles. At the provincial level, vaccines are also stored in specialized cold storage or refrigerators and are periodically transported from the province to the district in refrigerated containers by car or motorbike. From the district to the commune, they are transported in refrigerated containers and cooler boxes and are only delivered on the day of vaccination.

Over the past nearly 30 years, vaccination efforts in Vietnam have achieved tremendous success. However, according to Professor Nguyen Tran Hien, this could create complacency and lead to reduced investment in the vaccination program. This is a mistake because the experience of many countries such as China and some European countries shows that polio outbreaks have recurred after a period of successful containment. Meanwhile, the spread of diseases can be very rapid nowadays. Recently, there have been adverse reactions after vaccination, leading to public anxiety, concerns among healthcare workers, and a decrease in trust, especially the incidents that occurred in Quang Tri recently.

The second challenge is the difficulty in accessing vaccinations, especially in remote, mountainous areas with geographical, cultural, and economic difficulties. In addition, people's demand for higher quality vaccines, new generation vaccines, combination vaccines, etc., Professor Hien stated.

According to Vnexpress-KN