Parents refuse Hepatitis B vaccination for their newborns

Many parents have refused the regular hepatitis B vaccine injection given to newborn babies  after the recent fatalities in Quang Tri Province

Concern was recently raised over the issue when three newborn babies in Quang Tri Province died immediately after receiving the hepatitis B vaccine injection.

Nguyen Thi Nga, who gave birth at Hanoi Obstetric and Gynecology Hospital, said, “Before giving birth I told doctors and family members that I did not want the vaccine for my baby. If the hospital gives the vaccine despite my wishes they should be held accountable for the results." She has tested negative for the disease and decided to delay the injection after hearing about the incident in Quang Tri Province. 

"I'm not a doctor but I have read a lot about the transmission of hepatitis B. Since I have already tested negative, my child cannnot be infected from me. Now he is being taken care of by his grandparents, all of whom have also tested negative. So I feel more comfortable waiting to give him this vaccine along with the scheduled vaccine combination when he is a bit older. He is too small now to be given the injection. It's not worth the risk," said Nga. 

Another new mother said that she decided to delay vaccination for her baby for a few days on the advice of an acquaintance who is a doctor, since she is not infected with the disease.

If pregnant women test positive for hepatitis B, doctors prefer to vaccinate for the disease within the first 24 hours of birth to prevent transmission from mother to baby.

According to Dr. Vu Ba Quyet, Deputy Director of National Hospital of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the hospital continues to comply with the ministry’s decision, and has provided around 20,000 doses of the vaccine within the first 24 hours of birth without incident.

Refusing the hepatitis B vaccine means breaking the law

Nguyen Nhat Cam, Director of the Hanoi Preventive Medicine Centre, said that at the Ministry of Health’s instruction hospitals in Hanoi have continued giving hepatitis B vaccination, adding that only the vaccine lot used for the three babies in Quang Tri have been suspended.

Many parents are so worried that they refused to give the hepatitis B vaccination injection to their babies; meanwhile, it is a compulsory regulation.

The Ministry of Health has requested that all hospitals with obstetrics faculty obey hepatitis B vaccination regulations, making it is a law violation to refuse it, one vaccination specialist said. However, Vietnam has not yet issued any sanctions for those who do not comply. 

Dr. Nguyen Tien Dung, Head of Paediatrics Faculty of Bach Mai Hospital said it is necessary to give hepatitis B vaccination within the first 24 hours after birth.

“We must follow regulations on giving the vaccine within the first 24 hours after birth. Newborn babies must be examined before being given the injection,” he noted.

Dr. Nguyen Tran Hien, Head of National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology, said people should keep calm about the recent fatalities and wait for the results of the investigation before jumping to conclusions. 

He said that no vaccine is completely safe, so there always remains a small risk of adverse reactions to every vaccination.