Through a Swiss pharmaceutical firm, the shipment of vaccine produced in the Republic of Korea is on its way to Vietnam, said the Ministry of Health Monday.

The ministry said it would conduct thorough lab examinations to ensure the drug’s safety when it arrives.

“The ministry will only receive the aid after lab tests prove the vaccine’s acceptable safety,” said a ministry representative.

This extreme caution comes due to the death of three newborn babies after receiving shots of the Hepatitis B vaccine produced by the Korean LG company.

The incidents forced the Ministry of Health to ban the use of the LG brand, which made up to 70-80 percent of the Hep B vaccine used in the country’s Expanded Program of Immunization.

The country has since used locally-produced vaccine as an alternative.

The Vaccine and Bio-medical Product Company is urgently producing hepatitis B vaccine to meet the domestic need. However, it takes at least four months for the production of one batch.

However, the country still relies on UNICEF's help in the coming time, the ministry said.

Source: VNA, VietNamNet