The workshop was co-organized by the Vietnam Preventive Medicine Association, NAVIVA Group and GC Biopharma, focusing on updating information about chickenpox, epidemiological data and introducing new advances in the technology of producing non-antibiotic vaccines, meeting WHO PQ standards.
Risk of outbreak and unpredictable complications
In Vietnam, chickenpox is continuously on the list of the 5 most common infectious diseases. From 2023 to now, the number of cases has tended to increase again, showing that the risk of outbreaks still exists if the rate of immune coverage is not maintained uniformly in the community. Dr. Do Thien Hai, Deputy Director of the Center for Tropical Diseases, National Children's Hospital, said that subjective psychology of considering chickenpox as a mild disease is still common, leading to errors in monitoring and isolation. In fact, the disease can cause serious complications such as pneumonia, encephalitis and skin infections, especially dangerous for infants, pregnant women and people with immune deficiency. Among them, children aged 1 to 10 are the group with the highest incidence recorded, accounting for nearly 90% of cases, and need to be prioritized for protection.
According to Assoc. Prof. Dr. Pham Quang Thai - Deputy Head of the Department of Infectious Disease Control, National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology, chickenpox has the ability to spread very strongly right from the incubation stage without symptoms, 1 infected person can infect 12-18 people and this disease causes more than 4,200 deaths each year worldwide. To establish effective protection barriers, experts recommend that the time of 12 months of age is the optimal time to get the first dose of vaccine to create the best immune response for children.
Antibiotic-free vaccine production technology
Clinical data on the 2nd generation vaccine strain MAV/06 has attracted great attention from the medical community. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hyun Mi Kang - Associate Professor - Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, Visiting Scientist of Boston Children's Hospital under Harvard University affirmed that the MAV/06 strain vaccine has high immunogenicity and safety has been recognized by WHO. In particular, in the 2025 position document, WHO updated on safety when implementing the transition between the MAV/06 strain vaccine and the Oka strain, bringing flexibility and assurance to the vaccination program in countries.
According to Dr. Jihyun Bae - Medical Science Specialist, GC Biopharma, the outstanding improvement of this vaccine is the modern production process that completely does not use antibiotics. The removal of antibiotic ingredients helps to ensure safety for children with a sensitive constitution. With a history of use in more than 30 countries over 30 years and more than 30 million doses supplied, from the 1st generation platform, the 2nd generation MAV/06 vaccine has achieved pre-appraisal certification from the World Health Organization (WHO PQ) - a particularly important certification in the vaccine field, demonstrating reliable safety and sustainable protection effectiveness.
Pioneering scientific conference on artificial intelligence (AI) application
One of the special highlights of the conference is NAVIVA Group pioneering the application of artificial intelligence (AI) platforms in direct Q&A activities between delegates and speakers. Through the AI system, guests can send questions, exchange professional content and participate in discussions conveniently, quickly and effectively throughout the program.
The integration of AI technology not only enhances interaction and connection between participants and experts but also reflects a strong digital transformation trend in the healthcare sector, contributing to improving the quality of scientific activities and continuous medical training.
Sharing at the conference, Dr. Le Phuoc Thi - Chairman cum General Director of NAVIVA Group said: "We expect the conference not only to bring the latest scientific updates on chickenpox and the 2nd generation vaccine MAV/06, but also to contribute to strengthening the connection between experts and medical staff while strengthening belief in scientific values, vaccine quality and the role of vaccination in disease prevention. This is an important foundation to improve the effectiveness of community health protection and towards a healthier future for generations of Vietnamese children.
