HCMC – Pfizer (Vietnam) Limited Company, in collaboration with the Vietnam Medical Association, the Vietnam Pediatric Association and the National Children’s Hospital, organized a series of scientific symposia addressing pneumococcal diseases and the role of pneumococcal vaccines for infants and young children.
The series of symposia, titled “New perspective on prevalance of pneumococcal serotypes in Vietnam – Scientific evidence for an effective pneumococcal vaccine for infant and children,” took place in Hanoi and HCMC from July 29 to August 2, 2024. The symposia attracted the attention of 100 experts, over 1,100 healthcare professionals across Vietnam attended onsite, and over 700 participating online.
The event consisted of six symposia for healthcare professionals. Among the distinguished international experts participating are Mark Peter Gerard van der Linden, a researcher at the Streptococci Reference Laboratory at RWTH University Hospital in Aachen, Germany, and Bulent Nuri Taysi, senior director of Vaccines and Antivirals in Emerging Asia for Pfizer’s Medical Division.
Through the event, Pfizer Vietnam and its partners provide a platform for both local and international medical experts to convene, share knowledge and experience, and discuss severe pneumococcal diseases, local serotype prevalence, and prevention strategies. The goal is to effectively control pneumococcal diseases among Vietnamese infants and children.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), pneumococcal diseases are estimated to claim the lives of approximately one million children annually, accounting for about 11% of all deaths among children under five. In Vietnam specifically, pneumonia claims the lives of 4,000 children out of a total of 2.9 million cases each year, making it the primary cause of death in children under the age of five.
