Beijing : China is to punish 357 officials for selling illegal vaccines, a case which has reignited public fears over the standard of health care in the country.
China’s cabinet said that 202 people had already been detained during the investigation into a ring that sold vaccines which had expired or been improperly stored.
A mother and daughter who were held last year were said to be at the centre of the trade which had existed from 2011 until 2015.
The pair were said to have been illegally bulk selling 25 different kinds of vaccines for conditions such as hepatitis A, flu, rabies and meningitis.
China announced a “cross-departmental investigation” into the affair last month, according to Xinhua, a state news agency. The illegal vaccines had been sold to 59 “health institutions”, the news agency added.
The 357 officials will either be sacked or demoted, the State Council said in a statement issued after a meeting chaired by Li Keqiang, the Premier of China.
“The meeting noted that the quality and safety of vaccines is related to public health, particularly that of children, and it is a red line which cannot be crossed,” the statement said.
“Our country’s vaccine system is generally reliable, but if there is any loopholes, they must be fixed.”
The scandal has sparked a public outcry in a country where many are cautious over domestically-produced food and medicine. During the 2008 baby milk scandal, six infants died and 300,000 fell ill after milk was found to be tainted with the industrial chemical melamine.
Many Chinese parents are now arranging for their children to receive injections abroad. www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/04/14/china-to-punish-hundreds-over-vaccine-scandal/
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