USAID, UNICEF help improve access to immunization in hard-to-reach communes in Viet Nam

It is part of the support to further improve cold chain systems for routine immunization and COVID-19 vaccination campaigns in Viet Nam.

Speaking at the event, USAID's Senior Global Health Security Advisor Myat Htoo Razak said that USAID and the U.S. Government are proud to continue our strong collaboration with the Government and people of Viet Nam in jointly addressing the national and global challenge of infectious diseases.

USAID is pleased to join one of key partners, UNICEF, and the Ministry of Health, to recognize enduring collaboration through support of refrigerators to 12 provinces to help accelerate equitable access to and delivery of safe and effective doses of COVID-19 vaccines and other routine vaccines for children, he added.

"We value the partnership and commitment from the Government of Viet Nam, particularly the Ministry of Health, National Expanded Immunization Program", shared Dr. Myat Htoo Razak.

The vaccine refrigerators-HBC-80 model-will be delivered to 590 hard-to-reach communes in 12 provinces in Northern and Central regions of Viet Nam.

The model can maintain cold conditions for vaccines that must be stored at a temperature range of +2˚C to +8˚C, which is required for the majority of vaccines managed under the Expanded Immunization Programme.

With a storage capacity of 61 liters, each refrigerator will be able to store enough vaccine doses for routine immunization and targeted COVID-19 vaccination in the communes.

This support is crucial to ensure that vaccines are safely stored and delivered at commune level, enabling children to be vaccinated as soon as they are due–rather than waiting to collect vaccines from a higher-level storage facility that is far away, said Maharajan Muthu, Chief of Child Survival and Development at UNICEF Viet Nam.

This is especially important nowadays, when Viet Nam is making efforts to reverse the significant decline in routine vaccination with UNICEF's support to ensure 5-in-1 vaccine supply. UNICEF is committed to continue supporting the strengthening of the health system not only at the national level but also to ensure strong capacity at the community level, he added.

UNICEF is delighted to join hands with USAID to support Viet Nam to enhance the capacity of immunization systems to ensure that people in the remote areas have access to safe vaccines, stated the UNICEF specialist.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, USAID and UNICEF worked with the Ministry of Health to bolster communication campaigns providing useful information to the public, as well as to support with the infection prevention, control and response efforts.

USAID, in partnership with UNICEF, will continue to support Viet Nam in improving the capacity of immunization systems./.