VietNamNet – Vietnam has nearly eradicated tetanus in newborns with over 90% of children less than 1 year old administered six basic vaccines.

At a conference reviewing 20 years of the expanded vaccination programmes on February 28 in Hanoi, the Ministry of Health reported that since 1993, more than 90% of children of less than 1 year old had been vaccinated with six fundamental shots.

Vietnam is one of nine countries that have eradicated newborn tetanus among 50 countries demonstrating the disease. For the past 20 years, an expanded vaccination programme has helped change the disease structure of Vietnamese children. The ratio of children with infectious diseases such as measles, whooping cough and diphtheria has reduced markedly. Paralytic was eliminated in 2000.

Vietnam is also set to eradicate measles in 2010 and to produce a measles vaccine next year, the 10th that can be produced locally.

The expanded vaccination programme began in Vietnam in 1981 for pregnant women of 15-35 years old and children. It now covers 100% of communes and wards nationwide.

Le Ha