More needs to be done for vaccination

Despite these victories, much remains to be done. China must use its formidable innovative capacity to develop new and better vaccines. Especially important are combination vaccines that protect children against more diseases with fewer shots. This year, over 800 million doses will be used to vaccinate Chinese children; combination vaccines could cut the number of injections in the routine immunization schedule by 30 percent, greatly increasing the odds that children will be fully protected. China has the technical know-how to accomplish this task and has allocated the necessary resources: the Twelfth Five-Year Plan pledges 40 billion yuan ($ 6.4 billion) to research and develop new biological medicines.

Equally important, China must deliver vaccines to its most disadvantaged children, many of whom do not receive all doses of the traditional vaccines. Worldwide, more than 20 million children a year do not receive one or more important vaccinations that would protect them from at least one preventable disease. As the world's most populous country, China could have a huge impact on global access to life-saving vaccines.

Everyone has a role to play in this undertaking. Doctors and other healthcare professionals must talk to their patients about the importance of vaccines. Parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles must ensure that children complete the entire course of their vaccination, even if that means multiple trips to the doctor's office. Journalists must remind their audiences that vaccines save lives.

In China and elsewhere in the world, virtually every child is vaccinated, and this is an accomplishment worth celebrating. But in many cases, children can and should be vaccinated against additional diseases. We must do everything possible to encourage a robust and active vaccine management program in countries around the world.

The author is the WHO's Representative in China.

(China Daily 04/28/2014 page10)