Science wants to prolong life
Vaccine for hand-foot-mouth disease awaits approval in Vietnam
The third trial of a vaccine against hand-foot-mouth disease (HFMD) has been completed in Vietnam and is waiting for official approval, local media reported on Wednesday, citing the Pasteur Institute in Ho Chi Minh City.
There were no recorded cases of HFMD among the children who received the vaccine, local Vietnam News daily quoted Deputy Director of the Institute’s Clinical Research Unit Nguyen Trong Toan as saying.
The vaccine has a protective efficacy of 96.8 percent against the disease caused by the Non-Mouse-Adapted Enterovirus 71 (EV71) strain, which is the most dangerous strain of the virus that causes HFMD with a high risk of death, he said.
Researchers have not detected any post-vaccination anaphylaxis, while 30 percent witnessed some typical reactions like swelling or redness at the injection point just like any other vaccine, he said.
Based on the clinical trial results, the production unit submitted a dossier to the Ministry of Health for approval and if approved it will be the first HFMD vaccine in Vietnam against EV71 strain, Toan said.
From 2019 to 2021, the third clinical trial was conducted on 3,049 children aged two months to six years, the newspaper said.