The Hanoi Times - Between 800,000 and 900,000 women more than three months pregnant and around 280,000 health-care workers nationwide will be vaccinated against A/H1N1 flu.
At a meeting of the National Steering Board on Flu Prevention in Humans in Hanoi on Dec. 2, Head of the Ministry of Health (MoH)’s Department of Preventive Medicine and the Environment Nguyen Huy Nga said that the vaccine administered to the high-risk groups has been provided by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
With regards to the batch of A/H1N1 flu vaccine of GlaxoSmithKline that caused the deaths of two children and complications in many others in Canada , Nga said that GlaxoSmithKline has already informed the Vietnamese Health Ministry of its suspension of the batch.
However, the health official said, the ministry has neither received information from WHO about the batch of vaccine that caused the abovementioned complications, nor information on the vaccines it is providing.
In accordance with procedure, WHO will provide a number of batches of vaccine to Vietnam for safety tests before sending 1.2 million doses, Nga said.
The ministry will continue working with WHO to conduct epidemiological studies to adjust diagnoses and treatment in a timely fashion, he added.
Vietnam has seen a total of 46 fatalities from the A/H1N1 flu in 20 provinces and cities as of Dec. 1, 2009, with 23 cases in southern localities, the ministry reported.
The ministry also warned people to take preventive measures, especially those in localities being hard hit by the potentially deadly virus.
At present, there are two suspected cases of A/H5N1 flu hospitalised at the general hospital of the northern mountainous province of Dien Bien, said the ministry, adding that their samples are being tested.
YTO