Thai health authorities push to administer childhood vaccines after Covid-19 delays

Thailand’s health authorities are pushing to administer childhood vaccines after they were delayed by the Covid-19 pandemic.

According to Bangkok Post, the national committee on vaccines says it is concerned about the three-year delay as over one million young girls have missed out on being inoculated against cervical cancer.

Now, the committee is asking state-owned hospitals, university hospitals, local administrative organisations and the National Health Security Office (NHSO) to encourage children to come for their vaccines.

Tares Krassanairawiwong, the Department of Disease Control chief, commented on the delay of important childhood vaccines.

“We found there was a decline in the number of basic vaccines being given to children during the pandemic, especially 1.2 million girls who didn’t get the cervical cancer vaccine when they were in Prathom five, or 11 years of age, and who are now in high school.”

“We need to give them the vaccine urgently.”

Tares added that the best time to receive this particular vaccine is before they reach 15 years of age. He says the committee has asked the NHSO to add more than 1.2 million doses of the cervical cancer vaccine to this year’s quota to make up for those who missed it.

Thailand’s childhood immunisation programme includes vaccines for hepatitis B, tetanus, pertussis, measles, rubella, mumps, tuberculosis, diphtheria, polio, Japanese encephalitis, and cervical cancer.

Tares says the committee is also doubling the number of polio vaccines to two jabs as neighbouring countries are experiencing a mutated poliovirus outbreak.

As for the Covid vaccines, France is reportedly set to deliver one million doses of second-generation jabs on March 13, which will be used as booster shots.

Currently, he says the Government Pharmaceutical Organisation is in its third phase of human trials for an inactivated Covid vaccine in development.

Chulalongkorn University and a startup company are also developing an mRNA-based vaccine which is in its first phase.