More than 740,000 encephalitis B vaccines are needed to inoculate everyone
under the age of 20 in Yuncheng city, where a recent outbreak of the disease has
claimed 19 lives, local officials said on Sunday.
Local health authorities hope that vaccinating everyone in the age group will
curb the spread of the disease.
Shanxi provincial health bureau has contacted vaccine producers who are being
asked to provide the serum for the young people and for people in other age
groups.
Young people stricken with the illness are more likely to die or suffer a
disability.
More than 20 percent Yuncheng's population of 4.95 million are under the age
of 20. The provincial health department has already provided 400,000 vaccines to
the city, which only had 20,000 vaccines on hand.
As of Sunday, Yuncheng reported 60 people infected with the disease, 19 have
died, 31 remain in hospital, eight of whom are in critical condition. Six others
have recovered and were discharged from hospital.
Last year the area reported 30 cases of encephalitis B, which is transmitted
by mosquitoes.
The city government has decided to provide free medical treatment for the
eight patients in critical condition and for four people who had abandoned
medical treatment because they couldn't afford it.
The cost of medical treatment will be covered for everyone who can not afford
it, said the city government.
The city government will also provide free vaccines for people under 20, who
live in remote mountainous areas and who's families are poor.
The outbreak of encephalitis B exposed a shortage of vaccine reserves at
grass-roots medical institutions in Yuncheng city, especially in rural areas,
said Liang Guodong, deputy head of the virus research institute under the
National Disease Prevention and Control Center.
A lack of instruments and equipment make it difficult for medical workers to
timely and accurately diagnose the patients, Liang said.
A grass-roots epidemic disease prevention and control system urgently needs
to be established to ensure quick response to public health emergencies in the
future, said experts with the Ministry of Health, who are working with local
health experts to curb the spread of the disease.
