The World Health Organization has said it's confident in the manufacturing of all vaccines in China. The WHO briefed the media in Beijing on Tuesday. It was responding to recent reports of vaccines being purchased by a private family and resold to hospitals and clinics in China.
Are China's vaccines safe? Amid widespread public concern, and questions from the media, the WHO expressed its confidence in Chinese vaccines.
"The Chinese national regulatory authority for vaccine is known to meet international standards. This gives us confidence that every dose of vaccines...all safe, pure and effective," Dr. Lance Rodewald, tead lead of Expanded Prog. On Immunization, WHO China, said.
In the recent scandal, a large quantity of improperly stored or expired vaccines were allegedly sold across China since 2011. The WHO says the incident has revealed problems in the supply chain--the distribution of vaccines available for purchase on the private market.
China's State Council has set up a cross-department team to investigate the case and a supervision team to oversee the investigation. Premier Li Keqiang has said regulatory bodies -- including the CFDA, health ministry and police -- need to work more in tandem, and that "dereliction of duty" would not be tolerated. Investigators are still tracing the distribution of the vaccines.
"A total of 69 criminal cases have been filed and 130 people have been apprehended. According to police investigators, the vaccines were not produced and sold by illegal factories. Instead, they are normal vaccines sold by legal factories. Those vaccines are type II vaccines (vaccines bought by citizens on a voluntary basis). The police department has detained and sealed 20,000 vaccines," Hua Jingfeng with Ministry of Public Security said.
Responding to parents' concerns, the WHO says the illegally traded vaccines will not lead to side effects or toxic reactions.
But some children may need to be re-vaccinated.
Confidence is the word that appeared multiple times during this WHO news conference. The WHO says it is confident in the manufacturing of all Chinese vaccines. But now it's the public's confidence that urgently needed to be restored. The crucial way to achieve this, the WHO says, is to improve management and oversight of privately purchased vaccines in China.
