160,000 Doses of Meningococcal Vaccine to be Available in Vietnam Next Month

The Department of Medicine under Vietnam’s Ministry of Health said that there will be 160,000 doses of meningococcal vaccine available in April. The volume includes 60,000 doses of Polysaccharide meningococcal A+C for children from two years old and above and 100,000 doses of VA-MENGOC-BC for babies from three months and above. The two vaccines against meningococcal meningitis, which is a bacterial form of meningitis that seriously inflames the lining surrounding the brain and spinal cord, are the ones whose registration or import license is still valid. The announcement came after the Central Hospital for Tropical Diseases in Vietnam’s capital city of Hanoi early this month recorded the first case of meningococcal meningitis in Hanoi this year, warning of an outbreak in some localities, especially where there is A+C vaccine shortage. In 2015 and the first few months of 2016, Vietnam recorded several cases of meningitis in Ho Chi Minh City, Son La, Hoa Binh, Gia Lai, Nam Dinh, Lang Son, and Hai Duong, of which two have died. According to the World Health Organization, meningococcal meningitis can cause severe brain damage and is fatal in 50% of cases if untreated. (Bnews.vn Mar 9)