Scarcity and price gouging of the 6-in-1 vaccine.
(Baonghean) - These days, many parents are scrambling to find the 6-in-1 vaccine for their children, causing it to sell out and become scarce. Meanwhile, the price of the vaccine is chaotic, varying from place to place...
Six-in-1 vaccine is scarce.
Nguyen Thi Phuong and her husband (from Hung Phuc ward, Vinh City) have not yet been able to vaccinate their nearly three-month-old son. Worried that the delay will affect the vaccine's effectiveness, they have spent the past two days frantically searching several private vaccination centers in Vinh City, but still haven't found any.
Having an acquaintance working in the medical field, she was referred to a vaccination clinic on Ly Thuong Kiet Street. However, even there, she had to schedule an appointment because the vaccine was not yet available. Sharing her experience, Ms. Phuong said: "My child is still young, so I want him/her to get vaccinated as soon as possible because there's also the expanded immunization program. But now I don't know where to get vaccinated properly because everywhere is out of vaccine."
At the vaccination service room of the Provincial Preventive Health Center, despite the rain and cold weather, dozens of mothers had already arrived with their children by just after 8 a.m., hoping to get the 6-in-1 vaccine. However, they were told to wait until the weekend for their appointments. While guiding the patients, the medical staff at the vaccination room reminded them that the clinic opens at 7:30 a.m. Therefore, parents should arrive early to avoid the vaccine running out.
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| Parents register their children for the 6-in-1 vaccine. Photo: My Ha |
Due to the vaccine shortage, many parents are worried. Ms. Nguyen Thi Hai Yen, a resident of Tan Son commune, Do Luong district, recently gave birth to her first child and is very concerned about her baby's health. Therefore, even though her commune has a 5-in-1 vaccine program for children, she still went to Vinh to get her child vaccinated with the correct dose because she feared the vaccination might not be effective. However, even after bringing her child directly to the vaccination center, her wish could not be fulfilled.
Similarly, Ms. Le Thi Bich Duyen also traveled all the way from Nghi Xuan district (Ha Tinh province) with her 6-month-old child hoping to get the 6-in-1 vaccine. However, upon arrival, she was told to come back at the end of the week and had to take a taxi back home.
Information gathered at the Vaccination Room in front of the Provincial Preventive Health Center revealed that: Previously, when the supply was quite abundant, the clinic administered about 300 doses of the 6-in-1 vaccine per day. But now, there are only about 100 doses per week, and priority is mainly given to children receiving booster shots.
The demand for the first dose of the 6-in-1 vaccine is almost unmet. The reason for the shortage is that vaccination centers currently cannot proactively manage the number of children registering, so they are hesitant to stockpile large quantities for contingency. Meanwhile, storing the 6-in-1 vaccine requires extremely strict temperature control, maintaining a temperature between 2 and 8°C. If the temperature is not maintained, the vaccine will quickly spoil, resulting in significant losses.
Vaccine prices are in chaos.
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| Young children need to be vaccinated on schedule. Photo: My Ha |
The 6-in-1 vaccine is indicated to protect against six diseases: diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, polio, hepatitis B, and diseases caused by Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) in a single injection, reducing the number of vaccinations for children, saving time and costs. In addition, these two types of vaccines help reduce potential side effects after vaccination. Currently, there are two types of 6-in-1 vaccines on the market: Hexaxin 6-in-1 vaccine from France and Infanrix Hexa 6-in-1 vaccine from Belgium.
Although these two types of vaccines have been available for quite some time, they have been consistently out of stock for months. Due to high demand from parents, the prices for these vaccines vary considerably in the market. For example, at the vaccination clinic in front of the Provincial Preventive Medicine Center, one dose of the Belgian 6-in-1 vaccine costs 855,000 VND, while the French one costs 920,000 VND.
Meanwhile, at Vinh International Hospital, when we inquired, the staff told us that both types of vaccines cost 1,525,000 VND. At the vaccination clinic on Ly Thuong Kiet Street, the listed price published on their personal page was 1,050,000 VND (Belgian vaccine) and 1,200,000 VND (French vaccine). In reality, despite the significant price difference, many parents still try every means to get a dose of the vaccine for their children.
According to Dr. Hoang Ngoc Dan, Head of the Consultation and Preventive Treatment Clinic at the Provincial Center for Preventive Medicine: Currently, Nghe An province has approximately 60,000 children under 1 year old each year, and the expanded immunization program provides all the necessary doses of the 5-in-1 vaccine for children completely free of charge.
During this vaccine shortage, Dr. Hoang Ngoc Dan advises parents not to worry too much and suggests that alternative options include the 5-in-1 vaccine (available through private clinics) or the 5-in-1 vaccine from the national immunization program, without being overly concerned about its quality.
The doctor's claim that the 6-in-1 vaccine will avoid side effects is incorrect, as children will experience symptoms such as pain and mild fever with any vaccine.In case of any unusual symptoms such as swelling and pain at the injection site (screaming), discomfort, high fever, refusal to feed, or vomiting, go to the hospital immediately.
In addition, people are advised not to rush to get vaccinations for their children at the expense of quality service, and to avoid missing the crucial period for vaccination. The best time is between 2 months and 1 year of age. Vaccinations should be administered continuously according to the prescribed immunization schedule.