The World Health Organisation (WHO) has announced that three children outside Vietnam have died after receiving vaccinations from two batches of hepatitis B vaccine produced by Korea's LG company.

On May 23, Dr. Cao Minh Quang, Deputy Minister of Health, quoted the announcement of the WHO that six children in the world have died so far after being vaccinated from two batches of hepatitis B vaccine of LG, coded UVX 05028 and UVX 06006. Of the six children, three died in Vietnam, two in the Philippines and one in Bangladesh.

Dr. Quang said that this was a very rare catastrophe occurring in vaccination programmes in the world.

According to Dr. Do Si Hien, Chairman of the national expanded vaccination programme, the representative of the WHO in Vietnam said that they would contact WHO headquarters in Switzerland to verify the information and officially inform the Vietnamese Health Ministry today, May 24.

A mission of the WHO is now working in the Republic of Korea to inspect the hepatitis B production line of LG.