Vaccines against pneumonia, diarrhoea and the HPV virus that causes cervical cancer will be added to the national immunisation programme, with support from the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunis
A doctor at the Binh Phuoc General Hospital checks a patient for diphtheria, which has killed three children in the province in the last month (Source: VNA)
HCM City (VNA) -ꦰ Vaccines against pneumonia, diarrhoea and the HPV virus that causes cervical cancer will be added to the national immunisation programme, with support from the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation.
“There is no other way, including the use of antibiotics, that be as effective in reducing morbidity and mortality as vaccines are,” said Nguyen Ngoc Anh Tuan, deputy head of HCM City Pasteur Institute’s Clinical Biology Tests Department.
Each year, vaccines help prevent three million deaths and save 750,000 children across the world from permanent disability caused by vaccine-preventable diseases, Tuan said at a seminar held in HCM City on August 10.
Pneumonia caused by the pneumococcus bacteria is the leading cause of death in children, according to Dr Truong Huu Khanh, head of the HCM City Children No.1 Hospital’s Infectious Diseases Department.
The bacteria often lives in the ear, nose and throat of healthy people and can cause illness in children under five years old, including minor aliments such as sore throat, rhinitis and otitis media, and more serious diseases like pneumonia, meningitis and blood sepsis.
“Vaccination is one of the most efficient and cost-effective solutions to prevent disease,” Khanh said.
Fifty-six percent of diarrhoea cases in children are due to rotavirus. Because of vomiting and diarrhoea up to 20 times a day, the children can become seriously dehydrated.
“Early use of preventive oral rota vaccine from two months of age will prevent diarrhoea caused by rotavirus, besides regular hand washing, clean water drinking and breastfeeding,” he said.
Luu Van Minh, head of the HCM City Oncology Hospital’s Radiation Department, said that HPV was the main cause of cervical cancer, the second most common cancer in woman aged 15-44 in Vietnam.
In Vietnam, there are more than 5,000 cases of cervical cancer. Half of the women with the disease die each year.
The seminar on infectious diseases was organised by the Vietnam Association of Preventive Medicine in collaboration with the representative office of GlaxoSmithKline Pte Ltd (GSK) in Vietnam.-VNA
The Prime Minister has asked the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to distribute free vaccines and de-contaminant chemicals from the national reserves to two localities.
The Ministry of Health (MoH) has included a number of new vaccines in the National Expanded Programme on Immunisation as part of efforts to improve the efficiency of disease prevention.
The Ministry of Health (MoH) has introduced several new vaccines in the National Expanded Programme on Immunisation in an effort to improve the efficiency of disease prevention.
Various activities are taking place nationwide to improve public awareness of viral hepatitis as Vietnam has high incidence of hepatitis B and C compared to other regional countries.
Vietnam now boasts a nationwide healthcare network with 1,665 hospitals, 384 of which are non-public, supported by local commune- and ward-level stations. At the end of 2024, hospital bed capacity reached 34 per 10,000 people, slightly above the global average.
The 56-year-old patient from Quang Tri province was discharged in stable condition as he no longer experienced shortness of breath and was able to walk, move around, and eat normally.
Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Vu Trung, Director of the Pasteur Institute, said that under the MoU, the two sides committed to promoting diverse and practical collaborative activities, including joint conferences and workshops, exchanges of scholars, researchers and students, sharing academic materials, and the development of specific programmes and projects in scientific research, training, and epidemic prevention.
TytoCare, a leading Israeli telemedicine company based in Netanya, is willing to work with Vietnamese regulators, insurers, and healthcare providers to develop a sustainable digital health ecosystem.
The partnership is under the framework of a Memorandum of Understanding on the development and implementation of the National Action Plan on Breast Cancer and Cervical Cancer Prevention and Control, signed in Hanoi on July 22.
An estimated 7 million Vietnamese are currently living with diabetes, but about 50% remain undiagnosed, a dangerous gap that is fuelling serious, preventable complications and increasing the burden on the healthcare system.
In 2024, Vietnam achieved 99% coverage for the first dose of the diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis vaccine, up from 80% in 2023. Immunisation coverage in the country has not only rebounded to the high levels seen before the COVID-19 pandemic but has now surpassed the rates recorded in 2019.
Health authorities in HCM City have issued an urgent alert after six people died from dengue fever, amid a spike in infections driven by the onset of the rainy season.
During the peak months of July and August 2025, the National Institute of Haematology and Blood Transfusion (NIHBT) needs at least 90,000 units of blood to supply 180 hospitals in the northern region. However, despite continuous efforts, the reserve blood is still short of 30,000 units.
The Hanoi ceremony highlighted efforts to ensure all citizens, especially women and youth, can access accurate information and healthcare services to make informed reproductive choices.
After such a long time, the law has revealed many limitations, prompting the Ministry of Health (MoH) to gather opinions to amend the law to give more chances to thousands of patients every year.
Currently, cardiovascular specialists from the 108 Military Central Hospital are working alongside a team of Prof.Dr. Jan D. Schmitto, Deputy Director of MHH’s Department of Cardiac, Thoracic, Transplantation and Vascular Surgery on clinical trials for MCS devices, implanted in heart failure patients either as a bridge to transplantation or as permanent treatment.
The centre not only serves residents living on the island, but also receives tens of thousands of visitors every year, according to Assoc Prof Dr Tang Chi Thuong, Director of the HCM CIty Department of Health.
Not only does Vietnam attract international tourists with its landscapes, culture, and cuisine, but it is also gradually becoming a reliable destination for medical treatment, offering high-quality services at reasonable costs.
Over the past six months, 150 communal health stations in provinces including Ha Giang, Bac Kan, Lang Son, Lao Cai, Lai Chau, Yen Bai, Tay Ninh, Hau Giang, Ben Tre and Ca Mau have been equipped with information technology systems. In addition, 117 key provincial healthcare workers have received training, with thousands more expected to follow.
During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the Ministry of Health swiftly launched a telemedicine programme, connecting more than 1,000 medical establishments nationwide. The model, which remains in operation, has benefited tens of thousands of patients, including foreign nationals.
After more than three weeks of intensive treatment, the patient's pneumonia improved, breathing stabilised, sedation was reduced, and the breathing tube was removed. He is now conscious, able to eat orally, and in recovery.
A doctor at the Binh Phuoc General Hospital checks a patient for diphtheria, which has killed three children in the province in the last month (Source: VNA)
