China sees record low preventable infectious disease incidence

BEIJING -- Multiple infectious diseases that can be prevented by vaccination, such as measles, have registered their lowest recorded incidence in China, according to data released by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (China CDC).

Since the hepatitis B vaccine for the newborn became popular in China, the carrier rate among children aged under five has dropped from 9.7 percent in 1992 to 0.3 percent in 2014, and the number of infected children has shrunk by close to 30 million, the China CDC said at an event about prophylactic vaccination for children earlier this week.

The vaccinated population under the national immunization program is on the rise. According to the China CDC in 2017, China had 157,100 vaccination units nationwide, covering all urban and rural areas.

There were around 420,000 vaccinators across the country and more than 400 million doses of vaccines within the program were used each year.

Gao Fu, director of the China CDC, said China's health authorities have been strengthening the sound and standard management on prophylactic vaccination and improving its security and effectiveness, hoping the public keep confidence in China's vaccine.

China has maintained an above 90 percent vaccination rate of vaccines under its immunization program.