GSK Vietnam, Vietnam Association of Gynecology and Obstetrics and Vietnam Association of Preventive Medicine have oganised a series of seminars on the benefits of maternal against pertussis, especially for pregnant women. (Photo courtesy of GSK)HCM City (VNS/VNA) – Company
Limited (GSK Vietnam), the Vietnam Association of Gynecology and Obstetrics and
the Vietnam Association of Preventive Medicine, have organised a series of
scientific seminars on the benefits of against pertussis,
especially for pregnant women.
The seminar series themed “Increasing antibodies by pertussis vaccine to
protect babies during the pregnancy” attracted the participation of top
industry experts and more than 1,000 health professionals nationwide.
This was an opportunity for experts to emphasise the need once again for adult
immunisation, especially for pregnant women.
The experts discussed the latest scientific data and the burden of pertussis
infection in infants who are too young to be vaccinated.
Pham Quang Thai, deputy head of Communicable Disease Control and Prevention
Department under the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology
(NIHE), said for more than 50% of severe pertussis infected children, their
mother is the most common source of transmission during the first three months
of life.
Medical reports globally show up to 93% of infants under three months of age
with pertussis require hospitalisation due to complications such as pneumonia,
seizures, brain damage or convulsions.
About 73% of pertussis-related deaths occur in children under three months of
age.
Recognising the need for early immunization to protect newborns, the World
Health Organization () and healthcare systems in over 40 countries,
including the UK, the USA, Brazil and Australia, have issued vaccination
recommendations for pregnant women to protect their children during the
“immunity gap” period.
Recently, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the use of GSK’s
Tdap vaccine for pregnant women to prevent pertussis in newborn infants.
In Vietnam, this vaccine has also been licensed by the Ministry of Health.
Le Quang Thanh, president of the HCM City Maternal and Fetal Medicine
Association and director of Tu Du Maternity Hospital, reminded the
audience of the lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic and the benefit of
early prevention with vaccines.
Vaccination coverage among adults, especially pregnant women, have historically
been low, however, fortunately, there have been positive changes since the
pandemic.
“More people are aware of the importance of disease prevention and of the role
of health professionals, including pulmonologists and obstetricians, in giving
vaccination counseling to the elderly, people with underlying medical
conditions, and pregnant women,” Thanh said.
Pham Thi My Lien, president of GSK Vietnam, said GSK is proud to
support Viet Nam’s healthcare system to bring new advanced medical solutions to
the Vietnamese people to prevent disease.
“We hope the Vietnamese government will continue to recommend vaccination to
protect adults from vaccine preventable diseases,” she said.
GSK is a global biopharma company uniting science, technology, and
talent to get ahead of disease together./.
Source: VietnamPlus
