Under the 2018 national expanded immunisation programme, ComBE Five vaccine, provided by GAVI, will replace Korean-made Quinvaxem as the latter’s manufacturer Janssen has stopped production worldwide.

ComBE Five is a “five-in-one” vaccine that can help fight against five common, potentially fatal diseases affecting infants - diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, hepatitis B and Haemophilus influenza type B.

The Drug Administration has asked the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology to instruct and supervise localities to ensure safety and medical incidents, if any.

The ComBE Five vaccine will be piloted in seven provinces - Hà Nam, Bắc Giang, Yên Bái, Kon Tum, Bình Định, Đồng Tháp and Bà Rịa Vũng Tàu - in June and July before being applied nationwide.

The National Institute for Control of Vaccines and Biologicals has been assigned to assess the vaccine after it arrives in Việt Nam and during its administration in the seven provinces and then submit a report to the Drug Administration before it is officially circulated.

Trần Đắc Phu, head of the Preventive Medicine Department under the Ministry of Health, said, “ComBE Five has the same quality and ingredients as Quinvaxem, including cellular components of whooping cough. This component leads to cheaper costs for the ComBE Five vaccine compared to other five-in-one vaccines with acellular components of whooping cough. Therefore, the country can afford to provide the vaccine for free to 1.7 million newborns every year.”

Despite the lower cost, ComBe Five’s immunity period is longer than other five-in-one vaccines, which need a booster shot when children reach the age of 13-15, Phu said. — VNS