China starts nationwide inspection of vaccines
Four months after a scandal involving almost US$90 million worth of illegal vaccines that were suspected of being sold in dozens of Chinese provinces, China’s health authorities have launched a nationwide inspection of vaccinations.
According to a statement by the National Health and Family Planning Commission, purchases, distribution of vaccines and vaccination records will be tracked by the authorities to ensure that they are legally traded, properly handled and used.
Random checks will be conducted at 20% of hospitals and clinics providing vaccinations, while all disease control and prevention agencies nationwide will be inspected.
In March, authorities pledged to crack down on the black market sale of vaccines after a mother and daughter in Shandong province were found to have illegally bought vaccines from traders and sold on to hundreds of re-sellers around China.
The police said the vaccines were made by licensed producers, but were not kept and transported in the required cold conditions, which could mean that patients taking them could suffer severe side effects or even death.
Hong Kong has limited the number of non-resident children getting vaccinations at government clinics there after the scare raised fears that mainland families would go to the city for inoculations and put pressure on supplies.
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