VietNamNet Bridge – The Indian-made ComBE Five vaccine will be used in a national expanded immunisation programme, replacing the Quinvaxem vaccine as of next month instead of this month as previously planned.

The Indian-made ComBE Five vaccine will be used in a national expanded immunisation programme, replacing the Quinvaxem vaccine as of next month instead of this month as previously planned.— Photo sggp.org.vn

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.

According to the Ministry of Health, the postponement aims to further assess the vaccine’s quality. The ComBe Five was used in four districts in northern Ha Nam Province in 2016. In May and June, 2018, it was used in another three provinces.

In the last 10 years, the Korean-made Quinvaxem vaccine has been used in Vietnam’s national expanded immunisation programme which offers free vaccination against dozens of diseases for babies from newborn to 36 months old. The Quinvaxem manufacturer Janssen has stopped production worldwide.

About five million doses of Quinvaxem are used yearly for about 1.7 million babies aged under 1 year old in Vietnam but the public is still sceptical about the vaccine’s effects after a number deaths were reported.  

According to health experts, ComBE Five has the same quality and ingredients as Quinvaxem, including cellular components of whooping cough. 

Source: VNS