Authorities are working to speed up the rollout of childhood immunisation programmes that have been delayed by Covid-19 for three years.
The national committee on vaccines has expressed concern over the delay, especially as over one million girls missed out on being vaccinated against cervical cancer, said Dr Tares Krassanairawiwong, chief of the Department of Disease Control.
The committee has asked agencies such as the National Health Security Office (NHSO), state-owned hospitals, university hospitals, local administrative organisations and health promotion hospitals to encourage children to get vaccinations.
“We found there was a decline in the number of basic vaccines being given to children during the pandemic, especially 1.2 million girls who didn’t get the cervical cancer vaccine when they were in Prathom five, or 11 years of age, and who are now in high school,” Dr Tares said.
“We need to give them the vaccine urgently,” he said, adding that the best time for them to receive the vaccine is before they reach 15 years of age.
Dr Tares said the committee has asked the NHSO to add more than 1.2 million doses of the cervical cancer vaccine to this year’s quota for those who missed out.
The kingdom’s childhood immunisation programmes include jabs for tuberculosis, hepatitis B, diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio, measles, mumps, rubella, Japanese encephalitis and cervical cancer.
Dr Tares also said the committee has agreed to double the number of polio vaccines to two for better disease control as there is currently a mutated poliovirus outbreak in neighbouring countries.
Meanwhile, he said France was preparing to deliver one million doses of second-generation Covid-19 vaccines to Thailand on March 13, which will be used as booster shots for those in need.
The Government Pharmaceutical Organization is currently in the third phase of human trials for an inactivated Covid vaccine that it has been developing.
As well, mRNA-based vaccines being developed by Chulalongkorn University and a startup company are now in their first phase.
