Missed vaccination shots before entering 1st grade

Her 6-year-old daughter, since childhood, has been vaccinated according to the schedule under the Expanded Immunization Program. The family always thought their child was fully protected, so they did not find out about the booster vaccination schedule.

Now, the doctor at VNVC Trieu Son announced that the baby still lacks booster doses of Japanese encephalitis, flu and 4-in-1 vaccines for diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, and polio. At the same time, the baby has not been vaccinated against meningococcal disease, chickenpox, or dengue fever. Therefore, Ms. Quyen had her child vaccinated against dengue fever and Japanese encephalitis and scheduled the remaining shots after two weeks.

Mr. Tuan, 41 years old, in Dong Nai, also discovered that his 6-year-old son was missing the 4-in-1 booster shot when he took him for meningococcal vaccination. This injection is recommended for children 4-6 years old.

“The whole family thought my child had been vaccinated since he was young, so we stopped monitoring him. He rarely got sick, so I was more subjective,” Mr. Tuan said.

Doctor Huynh Tran An Khuong, Medical Specialist, VNVC Vaccination System, said children entering first grade come into contact with many new friends. Children often have close contact, share items and are not proactive in personal hygiene, so the risk of infectious diseases increases.

Vietnam has had many cases of disease in schools. In 2024, Nghe An recorded an 18-year-old female student at Ky Son District Vocational and Continuing Education Center dying from diphtheria, a close contact contracted the disease. In November of the same year, an 11-year-old girl in Cao Bang died of diphtheria. Relatives and classmates were quarantined, given preventive treatment and monitored. These cases show the role of proactive disease prevention for young individuals and the community.

According to Dr. Khuong, antibodies after vaccination with some vaccines gradually decrease over time. The booster shot helps replenish antibodies, maintaining protective effectiveness, without having to start over from the beginning. However, many parents think their children have had enough vaccinations since childhood, so they miss it.