HÀ NỘI — The World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) have agreed to ensure vaccine supply to support Việt Nam’s expanded vaccination programme, Minister of Health Đào Hồng Lan has said. Talking to the press on June 14, Lan referred to the vaccine shortage for the programme, saying that the situation may increase the risk of disease outbreaks. Over 200,000 doses of the 5-in-1 vaccine pledged by WHO and UNICEF, along with over 65,000 doses from domestic donors, are expected to ensure a sufficient number of vaccines for the programme, Lan said. With the support of WHO and UNICEF, the expanded vaccination programme has been applied in Việt Nam since 1981. According to health experts, the low vaccination rate puts Việt Nam at risk of large-scale outbreaks of infectious diseases.
