Hanoi is expected to provide pneumococcal vaccine in its expanded immunization program, which offers free vaccination to children under one year of age.

This is mentioned in a plan on expanded immunization in Hanoi in 2023-2025 which has just been signed by Vice Chairwoman of the Hanoi People's Committee Vu Thu Ha.

A child under one is vaccinated against diseases in a Hanoi healthcare center. Photo: Cong Hung/The Hanoi Times

The move aims to improve the quality of care and protect residents' health in the new situation through vaccination within the National Expanded Vaccination Program and reduce morbidity/mortality from vaccine-preventable diseases in the city.

The city plans to introduce the pneumococcal vaccine into the expanded vaccination by 2025. If there are domestic sponsors or support from the state budget, pneumococcal vaccination can be carried out earlier.

The Hanoi People's Committee has required that the plan be implemented following the Vietnamese Government's and the Ministry of Health's professional guidance on caring for and protecting people's health.

As of 2023, the number of vaccines under Vietnam’s national expanded immunization program has amounted to about ten.

The Government has issued a resolution on the roadmap to add more vaccines to the program, including those against pneumococcal disease from 2025, a vaccine against cervical cancer in 2026, and a vaccine against seasonal influenza from 2030.

The Government has also agreed to allow provinces and cities with high budget revenue to purchase vaccines against diseases for high-risk groups in the 2023-2025 program to encourage more people to vaccinate against diseases.

Additionally, the Government has asked the Ministry of Health to implement the roadmap on increasing the number of vaccines in the expanded immunization program for 2025-2030.