Since 2006, Vaccine and Biological Products Company No. 1 will produce combination vaccines. People will only need to receive one shot to protect against four diseases: diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, and hepatitis B.
On December 27, Professor Nguyen Thu Van, Director of Vaccine and Biological Products Company No. 1, Central Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology, announced that starting in 2006, the Institute will produce a combination vaccine against the diseases: diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, and hepatitis B.
Thus, one type of vaccine will be effective in preventing four diseases at once.
According to Professor Van, the combination vaccine is a global trend aimed at increasing the effectiveness of preventing multiple diseases with a single vaccine, thereby reducing costs and the number of injections.
Currently, the entire preparation process for the production of this combination vaccine has been largely completed by the Central Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology.
In the next phase, the Institute will research the addition of protection against polio and meningococcal meningitis to this combination vaccine.
It is worth noting that currently, in Vietnam, there is only the Pentaxim vaccine produced abroad, which can prevent five diseases: diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, polio, and infections such as meningitis, sepsis, and cellulitis. However, the price of the Pentaxim vaccine is over 400,000 VND per shot.
The production of this combination vaccine by Vaccine and Biological Products Company No. 1 will provide the community with more opportunities for vaccinations due to its lower cost compared to foreign vaccines.
