As the first unit to deploy dengue fever vaccination in Vietnam, Dr. Bach Thi Chinh, Medical Director of VNVC Vaccination System, said that since September 20, nearly 200 VNVC vaccination centers nationwide have vaccinated and reserved nearly 15,000 doses of dengue fever vaccine for children and adults.
The dengue fever vaccine is manufactured in Germany by the Japanese pharmaceutical company Takeda, and fully protects against four serotypes of the virus that cause the disease, including DEN-1, DEN-2, DEN-3 and DEN-4. This is the first dengue fever vaccine approved in Vietnam, with a two-dose regimen, three months apart, for children from 4 years old to adults.
The dengue vaccine has been shown to be highly protective, with efficacy against infection against all four dengue serotypes reaching 80.2%. The vaccine is also highly effective in preventing hospitalizations due to dengue, with a reduction of up to 90.4%.
At the same time, with the strength of nearly 200 centers, more than 10,000 doctors, nurses, medical staff, cold storage system and professional vaccine transport refrigerated vehicle system meeting GSP standards, VNVC can also organize mobile vaccination teams to schools, businesses, residential areas... with the highest safety vaccination process to promptly protect the health of children and adults before the peak dengue fever epidemic cycle that usually occurs in October every year.
From a management perspective, Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Vu Trung, Director of the Pasteur Institute in Ho Chi Minh City, shared that before the vaccine was approved and brought to Vietnam to be injected into people nationwide, many measures to prevent dengue fever had been vigorously implemented by the health sector for many years, but due to the complicated developments of the epidemic, control became more difficult, causing the disease to increase.
He believes that the dengue vaccine is a proactive and specific preventive measure for the majority of people. Research results show that this vaccine is safe and can be used for children, who are sensitive and have a very high rate of dengue fever. He hopes that when the number of people using the vaccine increases along with other measures, it is certain that in a short time, the burden caused by dengue fever on the community will be significantly reduced.
Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Thi Kim Tien, former Minister of Health, said that dengue fever not only causes burden and pressure for patients and their families but also for the health system and human resources. Therefore, the introduction of dengue fever vaccine is an important step forward in the prevention of this dangerous disease.
“Since half a century ago, finding a dengue vaccine has been an urgent issue. Vietnam has approved the dengue vaccine along with 39 countries around the world, taking an important step forward in disease prevention. The use of the vaccine along with other preventive measures will reduce the number of cases, hospitalizations and serious complications caused by the disease in the near future. That is the most convincing evidence of the safety, effectiveness and great humanity of vaccines in general and dengue vaccines in particular,” Ms. Tien hopes.
Dengue fever is caused by the dengue virus. There are four different serotypes of the virus. Initial infection with any one serotype is thought to provide long-term immunity, but this may not last a lifetime and provides temporary protection, estimated to last from a few months to 1-2 years, against other serotypes. A person can get dengue fever multiple times in their lifetime with different serotypes, and the second infection is more likely to be severe than the first.
According to Dr. Truong Huu Khanh, Vice President of the Ho Chi Minh City Infectious Diseases Association, dengue fever is difficult to control because people with dengue fever may not show symptoms or have unclear symptoms. According to research, 80% of people without symptoms are still capable of transmitting dengue fever. Severe disease is difficult to predict and can develop without warning signs.
The disease causes dangerous complications such as hypotension, heart failure, kidney failure, hemorrhagic shock, multiple organ failure, cerebral hemorrhage, coma, etc. The disease is at risk of becoming severe during the fever-free period from the 3rd to the 5th day of the disease, making the patient easily complacent. Subjects at higher risk of becoming severe when infected with dengue fever are young children, pregnant women, people with chronic diseases, obesity, etc. For pregnant women, dengue fever can cause fetal distress, premature birth, and stillbirth.
“There is currently no specific treatment for dengue fever, the focus is on early detection and treatment of complications,” Dr. Khanh emphasized.
The World Health Organization (WHO) calls for, in addition to raising awareness about the disease, controlling disease transmission vectors, and closely monitoring the disease, people need to be vaccinated to effectively prevent the disease.
