Doctor Bach Thi Chinh, Medical Director of VNVC Vaccination System, said that pneumococcus is always in the group of pathogens recommended for prevention because it often causes community-acquired pneumonia.

The most effective way to prevent pneumococcal disease is vaccination, which has been widely recommended by many medical experts.

People wait to be vaccinated at VNVC Hoang Van Thu.

– When should I get the injection and how effective is it?

According to the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC), pneumococcus resides in the nose and throat of 5-90% of the healthy population due to its characteristic ability to adhere to epithelial cells.

According to the Central Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology, pneumococcal pneumonia has a high mortality rate, estimated at 10-20% and can be more than 50% in young children and the elderly.

The National Hospital of Tropical Diseases cited statistical documents that the overall mortality rate of bacterial meningitis (including pneumococcus) is 15%, with sequelae ranging from 40-50%.

Because the risk of pneumococcal infection occurs all year round, proactively preparing a `shield` for the immune system with vaccines is very necessary.

– Is pneumococcal vaccination expensive?

According to Dr. Chinh, on the first day of opening after Tet, VNVC recorded thousands of people coming to get vaccinated against respiratory diseases such as pneumococcus, flu, diphtheria – pertussis – tetanus, of which pneumococcal vaccination accounted for

Currently, the price of a pneumococcal injection fluctuates around one million VND depending on the type.

Each age group has a corresponding regimen of number of shots.

Doctor Chinh said the cost of vaccines is always lower than treatment.

According to a study published in 2022, conducted in Canada over 19 years, the cost of treating 6.3 million pneumococcal-related hospitalizations was 7.9 billion USD.

A large-scale clinical trial in the US saw a single shot of pneumococcal vaccine capable of reducing the rate of infection with the pneumococcal strains included in the vaccine by 97%.

Children are vaccinated with pneumococcal vaccine when they are 6 weeks old.

– Who should not get pneumococcal vaccine?

Pneumococcal vaccine is not currently indicated for pregnant women and is recommended to be administered before or after pregnancy.

In case of discovering pregnancy immediately after injection, women should not worry too much.

– Do adults need regular pneumococcal booster shots?

Currently, the pneumococcal vaccination regimen for adults includes 1 dose of Prevenar 13 and does not require a booster.

– Can I choose the type of vaccine?

Vietnam currently has two types of pneumococcal vaccine, including: Synflorix (Belgium) 10-strain vaccine, also known as 10-strain pneumococcal vaccine, administered to children from 6 weeks to 5 years old;

Pneumococcal vaccinations are now widely available at vaccination service sites.

– Can pneumococcus 10 and pneumococcus 13 be injected alternately?

Synflorix and Prevenar 13 can be used alternately in unforeseen cases such as vaccine scarcity.

VNVC is the first vaccination unit in Vietnam to implement a financial support program for customers with the policy of `vaccination first, pay later`, all interest rates are supported by VNVC.