Evaluation of the impact of Shandong illegal vaccine sales incident on immunizations in China

Abstract

A case of illegal vaccine sales in Shandong province, China, (hereinafter, the incident), which caused a lack of confidence among vaccination recipients and public panic, was uncovered in March 2016. We conducted a study comprising two cross-sectional surveys: at two months (May 2016) and seven months (October 2016) after the incident. The study aimed to evaluate the impact on immunizations; investigate the variation of the immunization coverage of the National Immunization Program Vaccines (NIPV) and the sales volume growth rate of Category II vaccines; and understand the reasons for non-vaccination and perspectives on immunization. The immunization coverage of NIPV decreased by 5.6 percentage points in the first survey, with a decline of 11.1 in the region of the incident, and decreased by 0.6 in the second survey compared to same period in 2015. The sales volume growth rate of Category II vaccines decreased by 25.8% in the study area and by 48.8% in the region of the incident in April 2016 compared to April 2015. Overall, 15.8% of respondents in the first survey and 7.0% in the second survey did not vaccinate their children according to the NIPV schedule because of the incident (χ = 78.463, P < 0.05). The vaccination was likely affected by the incident in varying degrees, especially in the involved region and particularly in relation to Category II vaccines. Overall, 34% of respondents avoided Category II vaccines for their children, indicating that it will take considerable time to eliminate the negative stigma associated with the incident.

Caregiver and service provider vaccine confidence following the Changchun Changsheng vaccine incident in China: A cross-sectional mixed methods study

“…This recovery in confidence could be attributed to respondents’ understanding of the incident, their trust towards the government and healthcare system, and the prompt publication of information by public health institutions. Similar phenomena on vaccine confidence recovery were reported by studies in China [16] , [17] . Vaccine incidents due to misinformation, quality or delivery problems have occurred repeatedly in China since 2000 [7] .…”

“…The HBV vaccination uptake also returned to the pre-incident level after two months. Similar change of vaccine confidence was reported after the Shandong vaccine incident which involved illegal vaccine sales [17] .…”

Studying Public Perception about Vaccination: A Sentiment Analysis of Tweets

“…Another reason for a low vaccination rate is the public's lack of trust in government. A recent example from China shows how a vaccine scandal can shake the public's trust in government and reduce vaccination rates [38][39][40]. Vaccines have a booming market in China since pharmaceutical innovation is encouraged and prioritized by the government.…”

A 0.0014 mm2 150 nW CMOS Temperature Sensor with Nonlinearity Characterization and Calibration for the −60 to +40 °C Measurement Range

“…Temperature monitoring is mandatory in cold chain applications for the production, storage, distribution, and transportation of perishable, but life-critical products, such as foods, blood products, and vaccines [1,2,3,4]. The temperature range for the food cold chain is commonly from −20 to +15 °C [1,2].…”

“…For blood products, such as fresh frozen plasma, the cold chain needs to maintain a low temperature under −25 °C. Temperature control for the vaccine cold chain is even more stringent [3], and some special vaccines, such as the anti-Ebola vaccine, may need a low temperature of −60 °C [4].…”