100 million children to receive measles vaccine inoculation

China's Ministry of Health will provide free measles vaccine inoculation from Sept. 11 to Sept. 20 for 100 million children all over the country to eliminate measles infection by 2012, which will be the fourth infection eliminated by China, said Hao Yang, vice director of the Disease Prevention and Control Bureau of the Ministry of Health.

Hao said a nationwide immunization activity targeting children aged 8 months to 14 years would be carried out in all provinces of China. All children without measles vaccine inoculation contraindication should receive a measles vaccine inoculation, no matter whether they have received the measles vaccine inoculation or not or had measles in the past.

According to actual conditions of provinces, the Ministry of Health provided three age ranges: 8 months to 14 years in Beijing, Shanghai, Henan, Heilongjiang and Guangxi; 8 months to 6 years in Jinlin, Hainan and Qinghai and 8 months to 4 years in the other 23 provinces and Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps.

As to the provision on different age ranges, Liang Xiaofeng, Director of Immunization Planning Center of China Disease Prevention and Control Center, explained that such an age distribution was consistent with conditions of children who have received measles vaccine inoculation in different provinces in China. All children within the age range have a chance to obtain free measles vaccine inoculation and other children are required to pay inoculation fees if they need inoculation.

Liang Xiaofeng said the Ministry of Health required 95 percent or higher inoculation ratio on a county level. It is predicted that 100 million children will benefit from this measure. Central finance has appropriated 157 million yuan for the cost of vaccines and injectors.

According to Hao, China has eliminated two infections — smallpox and Poliomyelitis — so far and plans to eliminate filariasis and measles by 2012.

By Yan Meng, People's Daily Online