Hanoi, July 16 -- Vietnam has made remarkable progress in protecting children from vaccine-preventable diseases, according to the latest World Health Organisation (WHO) and UNICEF estimates of national immunisation coverage (WUENIC) released on July 15. In 2024, Vietnam achieved 99% coverage for the first dose of the diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis vaccine, up from 80% in 2023. Immunisation coverage in the country has not only rebounded to the high levels seen before the COVID-19 pandemic but has now surpassed the rates recorded in 2019. This improvement led to a reduction in the number of zero-dose children - that is, children who had not been protected by any vaccine - from 274,000 in 2023 to just 13,000 in 2024, a decline of over 95%...