On the Celebration of the World Hepatitis Day July 28th, under the direction of Prof. Bui Duy Tam, Dean of School of Medicine, Tan Tao University, from July 27th to 30th , all employees and students of TTU, who have negative HbsAg (Hepatitis B surface antigen), are expected to be vaccinated. Vaccine is produced by Sanofi, under the auspices of the International Liver Foundation for Vietnam (ILFVN ), chaired by Prof. Bui Duy Tam.
After being tested HbsAg and antiHBs, participants are classified into: having HBsAg positive, are advised to take treatment; having HbsAg negative, shall be vaccinated.
As World Health Organization (WHO) report, 8 million estimated Vietnamese have hepatitis B or C and liver cancer. Some international health organizations and American specialists in liver disease said that liver cancer is the most serious cancer in Viet Nam in term of number of patients and death rate.
In 2013, in the meeting between Vice Minister of Health, Ms. Nguyen Thi Xuyen and the delegation of ILFVN, Ms. Xuyen had stated that: Viet Nam was conducting the hepatitis B vaccination program in some provinces. However, there were some difficulties such as poor vaccine storage condition in the remote areas, low awareness of citizens about this disease. Therefore, the hepatitis B vaccination program was not carried out over the country.
Prof. Bui Duy Tam and member of ILFVN have worked with some Vietnamese Health Organizations in conducting the vaccination project, for example: Screening and vaccinating students in Medical Universities. Prof. Tam and his colleagues also expect to join in other projects of the Ministry of Health related to preventing and controlling hepatitis B.
ILFVN have reported that: 1,512 children (in the age of 5 to 10) in Ba Vi, Ha Noi, 18,000 Secondary Students (14-16 years old) in Long An were vaccinated against hepatitis B; 1,300 students of Hue University of Medicine and Pharmacy and 2,600 students of University of Medicine and Pharmacy Ho Chi Minh City were screened and vaccinated in the academic year 2012-2013; In the academic year 2013-2014, members of the nursing school of Duy Tan University and Dong A University were screened and vaccinated; The vaccination program is now spread to the School of Medicine, Viet Nam National University, Ha Noi and Thai Binh Medical University.
In the effort to help community fighting against hepatitis B, Mme. Dang Thi Hoang Yen had sponsored the vaccination project against hepatitis B for 18,500 children in Long An. Mme. Dang Thi Hoang Yen was granted the Humanitarian Award 2011 by San Francisco – Ho Chi Minh City Sister City Committee. In her charity works, 4,800 women and older had got free health care; Mme. Dang Thi Hoang Yen had sponsored to build thousand free houses for the poor and bridges in the rural areas.
She is also awarded Academic Leadership, San Francisco Award 2015 for her support in literature, art, health and humanitarian activities in Viet Nam to boost the relationship between Francisco – Ho Chi Minh in particular and between the U.S and Viet Nam in general.
TTU medical students:
