China Vaccine Scandal Raises Concern on Safety

The case involves the illegal and improper storage, transport and sale of tens of millions of dollars' worth of vaccines which were mostly expired.

In a vaccine scandal that occurred in China, 37 suspects have been detained and 13 wholesalers put under investigation.

The case involves the illegal and improper storage, transport and sale of tens of millions of dollars' worth of vaccines -- many of them expired.

Adult Immunization
Adult immunization is needed for adults whose mandatory childhood vaccines were either missed out or offer less protection, and to guard against new diseases.

‘Expired and improperly stored vaccines were primarily a risk due to people failing to be protected from the intended diseases.’

The incident is the latest health and safety scandal to emerge in China, where 300,000 children fell ill, six of them dying, in a notorious milk powder contamination case in 2008.

The two linchpin suspects in the latest scare are a mother and daughter duo from Shandong province in eastern China, Xinhua said, citing investigating officials.

From 2010, the pair illegally sold 25 different kinds of expired or improperly stored vaccines worth more than 570 million yuan ($88 million). They included shots for polio, rabies, hepatitis B and flu for both children and adults, Caijing magazine said, citing drug safety officials.

Poliomyelitis - About
Polio is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. It results in paralysis and generally affects people of all age groups, children being more susceptible

The Shandong Province Food and Drug Administration identified 107 wholesalers who supplied the pair, and 193 retailers across the country who were their clients.

Public fury has erupted over authorities' delay in publicising the case, which only came to light this month despite the pair being arrested in April 2015, almost a year ago.

About Shingles
In ‘Shingles’ or ‘Herpes Zoster’ painful skin rashes appear usually on the side of chest wall. It is caused by chicken pox virus called varicella zoster.

The World Health Organisation said that the expired and improperly stored vaccines were primarily a risk due to people failing to be protected from the intended diseases, rather than because of any harm they might inflict directly.

"Improperly stored or expired vaccine seldom if ever causes a toxic reaction, therefore there is likely to be minimal safety risk in this particular situation," it added.

Hib Vaccine - Types, Dosage Schedule, Contraindications and Side Effects
The Hib vaccine protects children against infections like meningitis and pneumonia that are caused by the Haemophilus influenzae type b bacterium.

It is illegal in China for pharmaceutical companies and hospitals to do business with unlicensed wholesalers. Three pharmaceutical companies are being investigated with one ordered to halt operations, Xinhua said.

Source-AFP