A scandal over improperly handled vaccines is exposing weaknesses in how vaccines are distributed across China, including close links between vendors and government clinics.
After years of government efforts to build up China’s immunization program, the unfolding scandal has undermined many Chinese parents’ trust in vaccines’ safety and the government’s oversight.
Li Ling, a Shanghai mother who took her 2-month-old son to a government clinic in her neighborhood one morning this week, opted to pay 500 yuan ($77) for a shot of an imported vaccine even though she could get the domestic equivalent free.
