Vietnamese Ministry of Health on Feb 23 said that the country will have additional 30,000 Pentaxim or five-in-one vaccine doses in March to meet the huge demand which was caused by shortage last year, local media reported. The Ministry said that in 2016, over 200,000 five-in-one Pentaxim vaccine and other vaccines will be imported into Vietnam to satisfy the increased demand of vaccination in the whole country. Head of the Ministry’s Drug Administration of Vietnam Truong Quoc Cuong said that to ensure a stable vaccine supplier in 2016, the Administration has asked the departments of health across the country to report the quantity of vaccine. The administration also proposed departments of health and medical institutions nationwide to forecast and report the demand of vaccine for 2016 based on the figure last year before February 28. This would help importers anticipate the amount to import. Pentaxim is a French-made type of paid vaccine which is meant to prevent five common and potentially fatal diseases, including diphtheria (D), tetanus (T), pertussis (P, whooping cough), hepatitis B (HepB), and Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib). (Saigon Giai Phong Feb 24 p7, Giao Thong Feb 23 p10)
