In the Wake of Deepening Scandal, Should You Get Your Child Vaccinated in Beijing?

More bad news yesterday as the Chinese vaccination scandal has deepened, with now 13 companies under investigation and as of this morning, over 130 people held by police for questioning.

In the wake of it all, a lot of Beijing parents are asking themselves: What now? Should I proceed with my child's vaccinations?

First of all, to frame the debate, we don't intend to address the issue of whether you should vaccinate or not. However you stand on that hot-button issue, we are presuming that those of you reading this far support vaccinations as routine healthcare. Those that choose not to vaccinate we are assuming would not be interested in the details below of how to do so safely.

What We Know So Far

First of all, news reports indicate that the scandal is limited to the improper handling of legitimate vaccines, and not a case of counterfeit or fake vaccines.

The issue at hand is that unlicensed middle men have become involved in the vaccine supply chain, acquiring vaccines from legitimate state-sanctioned medical supply companies and then selling them on to hospitals in China.

The crux of the issue is how these middle men have been handling the storage of vaccines during the logistics process.

Most vaccines require proper refrigeration "from the time they are manufactured until they are administered" according to the American Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

I've Already Gotten a Vaccine, is My Child at Risk?

Poorly kept vaccines are unlikely to have turned virulent, "spoil" or otherwise cause disease in your child, according to both the World Health Organization and the CDC. However, the CDC states, improper handling of vaccines can decrease the potency and
reduce the effectiveness of a vaccine.

Continue to read about the dangers of illegal vaccines on our sister site beijingkids.

Photo: std-gov.org