HANOI, Nov. 8 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam's Ministry of Health (MoH) announced Tuesday that it has successfully produced measles-rubella vaccine for the first time.
This brings Vietnam among 25 countries worldwide and the fourth country in Asia after Japan, India, and China that can produce the vaccine, Vietnam's state-run news agency VNA quoted the MoH as saying on Tuesday.
The vaccine is expected to soon be provided free to local kids under the National Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) in Vietnam from 2017, said VNA.
According to Duong Thi Hong, deputy director of the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology, currently, around 1.5 million Vietnamese children are offered with free measles-rubella Indian-made vaccines each year.
Previously, in Vietnam, measles vaccines were provided free under the EPI while the rubella vaccine injection was charged.
Vietnam is targeting to eliminate measles in 2017 and after that, the country will strive to put an end to rubella.
