This initiative aims to raise public awareness, particularly among parents, about the importance of the rotavirus vaccine in preventing acute viral diarrhea.
Rotavirus infection is a serious gastrointestinal disease that spreads easily, causes outbreaks, and can be fatal in children. In Vietnam, between 2016 and 2023, rotavirus was responsible for 20% to over 50% of acute diarrhea cases in young children.
Every year, hundreds of thousands of children are hospitalised, and thousands require emergency care due to rotavirus, placing a heavy burden on the healthcare system, families, and children’s early development—especially in remote areas with limited vaccine access.
The rotavirus vaccine has been proven highly effective, preventing 85%-98% of severe diarrhea cases and 74%-87% of all rotavirus-related diarrhea in the first year after vaccination.
Successfully implemented in over 120 countries, the vaccine has significantly reduced child mortality and hospitalisation rates. Vietnam now produces the vaccine domestically to ensure a stable supply for the Expanded Immunisation Programme.
A ministerial decision issued last year mandated the inclusion of this vaccine in the expanded immunisation programme. Since 2024, the initiative has provided free vaccinations to children in 32 economically disadvantaged and mountainous provinces. As part of a phased expansion aligned with Government resolutions, the programme will extend to nine additional localities this year and achieve nationwide coverage by 2026.
The campaign urges parents to ensure their children receive two doses of the vaccine before six months of age. Its messages will be spread via television, radio, newspapers, social media, and in ethnic minority languages and sign language./.
Binh Nguyen