Hundreds of parents have fruitlessly waited at the Department for Diseases Control in Danang City to register for the 6-in-1 Hexaxim vaccine despite diminished stockpiles.

Hundreds of people gather at the Department for Diseases Control in Danang City to register for the 6-in-1 Hexaxim vaccine on March 28

According to the department's director, Ton That Thanh, the centre had to close early on Thursday morning when there were 180 vaccine doses left but too many parents were causing chaos at the registration desk.

Traffic police had to be called to control the situation.

Many people said they came from several neighbouring districts of Quang Nam Province as early as 1 am on March 28 to queue for the vaccine.

Parents wait with their children at the department

Nguyen Thi Thanh from Dien Ban Town in Quang Nam Province said that she successfully registered to buy the vaccine on the afternoon of March 27 and brought her eight-month-old daughter here this morning to get injected but a doctor said that they had to close due to the chaos.

At 8.30am hundreds of people with their children waited at the department to hear the explanation from doctors.

Director of the Department for Diseases Control in Danang City, Ton That Thanh explains about the vaccine shortage

Doctor Thanh said that they would give the injections to those successfully registered in the afternoon.

The 6-in-1 Hexaxim (DTPa-hepB-IPV-Hib) vaccine which is used to protect children against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, hepatitis B, poliomyelitis and serious diseases caused by Haemophilus influenza type b is largely sought for by Vietnamese parents as the newly-introduced ComBE Five vaccine by the local Ministry of Health is reported to cause serious side effects among many children.

Dtinews