Vietnam and Japan Discuss 4-Year Project to Enhance Measles Vaccine Production
On March 24, a signing ceremony for the discussion record of the Technical Cooperation Project titled “Enhancing Measles Vaccine Production Capacity in Vietnam” took place in Hanoi. The project is a collaboration between representatives of the Sabin Vaccine Institute’s POLIOVAC center, which is under the Ministry of Health of Vietnam, and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Office in Vietnam.
According to a press release from JICA, the project will last four years from March 24, 2006.
| Measles has an incubation period of 7-18 days. The first signs of infection include a high fever lasting from 1 to 7 days. During this phase, symptoms often include a runny nose, cough, red eyes, tearing, and the appearance of small white spots inside the cheeks. After a few days, a rash appears, starting from the face and spreading to the arms and legs over about 3 days. The rash lasts for 5-6 days before disappearing. Additionally, patients may experience loss of appetite and diarrhea, particularly in young children. Severe cases are more common in children under 5 years and adults over 20 years old. Adults may suffer from severe diarrhea, while children may become dehydrated due to diarrhea and are at risk of ear infections, respiratory infections, and laryngitis caused by the measles virus, which weakens the immune system. Children under 12 months old who are not vaccinated against measles are particularly vulnerable. |
The project’s goal is to equip POLIOVAC staff with the necessary techniques to produce high-quality measles vaccines. Simultaneously, it aims to improve production management skills and vaccine quality standards in accordance with both domestic and international requirements.
Measles remains a concern in Vietnam and is one of the leading causes of childhood mortality in the country today.
Currently, Vietnam still does not produce its own measles vaccine despite the increasing domestic demand for it.
Vietnam has officially requested the Japanese government to cooperate in developing a project to establish a measles vaccine production plant located at the Sabin Vaccine Institute in Hoang Mai District, Hanoi.
This grant aid project has been implemented over more than a year, starting in September 2004.
The plant is now nearing completion and will soon be handed over to the Vietnamese side.
The measles vaccine production facility marks an important milestone for Vietnam in its future plans for measles vaccine production.
To follow up on this project, establishing a technical cooperation project in the field of measles vaccine production is extremely necessary.
The project “Enhancing Measles Vaccine Production Capacity in Vietnam” is set up to successfully transfer measles vaccine production technology from Japan to Vietnam.
This will enable Vietnam to produce its own measles vaccine, laying the foundation for eradicating measles in Vietnam by 2010.
According to data released by the Ministry of Health, the measles incidence rate in Vietnam in 2004 was 1 in 1,000,000 people.
