Vaccinations in China: Do vaccines work, and will your health insurance cover it?

With all the #VaccinesWork hashtags floating around social media lately, most of you probably know that the last week of April (24 – 30 April) was World Immunization Week. As an annual awareness initiative dedicated to promoting the power of vaccines, World Immunization Week addressed the issue that although vaccines have helped prevent at least 10 million deaths between 2010 and 2015, they’re still not fully utilized and there’s still progress to be made.

What’s more, the week also focused on validating information on vaccine safety, as many people today are still skeptical about vaccinations. This week’s article uncovers whether vaccines truly work, and looks at everything you need to know about vaccinations in regards to your expat health insurance policy.

Do vaccines really work?

In recognition of the end of World Immunization Week 2017, the World Health Organization (WHO) tweeted the following message about vaccines:

Source: WHO’s Twitter page (2017)

But, how do vaccines save lives and prevent diseases? Despite the effectiveness of vaccines, many parents and caregivers remain concerned about whether vaccines are truly safe for their children.

Why are people so skeptical about vaccines?

There are many reasons behind why people are sceptical about vaccines. Firstly, the internet is filled with websites publishing misleading information regarding vaccine safety. Secondly, people are often afraid of what they don’t fully understand. Many people believe that the ingredients in vaccines are harmful, simply because they sound scary. For example, many people believe that a preservative called thimerosal present in vaccines is harmful because it has mercury in it.

Thimerosal is an antifungal agent used to preserve multi-dose vials of vaccine. While thimerosal does have mercury in it, it’s actually an ethyl mercury, which is a harmless type of mercury that gets flushed out of the body. On the other hand, methyl mercury is the bad type; commonly found in tuna and other fish species high up on the food chain (e.g. king mackerel, swordfish).

For further vaccine facts, you can also check out The Nib’s informative comic on how vaccines work:

Source: The Nib (2014)

How vaccines work

The vital importance of vaccines can’t be stressed enough, because they prevent dangerous and deadly infectious diseases (e.g. polio). The use of vaccines has increased significantly since 2000. For example, by the end of 2015, 85% of the world’s children were injected with the measles vaccine – up from 73% in 2000. What’s more, since 1988 cases of polio have decreased by over 99%!

Vaccines work by injecting an imitation infection to provoke an immune response. This type of imitation infection does not cause illness, and instead causes the immune system to produce defensive white blood cells (T-lymphocytes) and antibodies.

These germ fighting tools help the body get over this imitation infection, and afterwards the immune system learns how to protect the body against that particular disease. Sometimes, the body may experience mild adverse symptoms (e.g. fever), as the body is building immunity against the infection.

Ever heard of the saying: “prevention is better than cure”? Despite ongoing advances in healthcare, diseases that vaccinations prevent can still be very deadly if you’re not vaccinated against them. As such, vaccinations are considered the best way to protect yourself from contracting a whole host of diseases.

Vaccinations in China

Expat parents in China are often concerned about what kind of vaccinations their children will need, as vaccination schedules vary between different countries. As vaccination schedules are designed around the prevalence of certain diseases in the country, you may find that China and other countries in Asia may provide vaccines that other countries outside of Asia may not. Expat parents should therefore make a balanced decision and consult with their doctor to find the best vaccination solution for their child.

Internationally standard vaccines, which are the vaccines that in most countries people should or are recommended to get starting from childhood, including the following:

• DTaP: This vaccine provides protection against diphtheria (a bacterial infection affecting the nose and throat), tetanus (an infection that causes muscle spasms), and pertussis (whooping cough).
• Polio: An infectious diseases that can cause muscle weakness and even muscle paralysis.
• MMR: Provides protection against mumps (a contagious diseases that can lead to brain damage and even death), measles (a viral infection of the respiratory system) and rubella (a contagious disease that is very dangerous for pregnant women and their unborn child).
• Hib: Provides protection against Haemophilus influenzae type b, a bacterium that can lead to a whole host of serious illnesses (e.g. meningitis), particularly in children.
• Pneumococcal diseases: People with pneumococcal disease can develop pneumonia, blood infection, meningitis, and ear infections.

On top of the above vaccinations, the following vaccinations are especially recommended for people in China:

• Japanese encephalitis: Protects against a mosquito-borne virus that can cause brain infection. It’s more of an issue in southern China, but Beijing has had cases as well.
• Typhoid: A fever developed from consuming Salmonella-contaminated food.
• Rabies: Rabies can be found in dogs, bats, and various other mammals. This vaccine is especially recommended for people often involved in outdoor activities, and children (as they tend to play with animals).
• Yellow fever: While there’s no yellow fever risk in China, the country requires proof of the vaccination if you’re arriving from a country with risk of yellow fever.
• Hepatitis B: This virus is an infectious inflammatory illness that affects the liver, and comes with a risk of chronic infection.
• BCG: A vaccine against tuberculosis, an infectious diseases that in most cases affects the lungs.

Adults and teens need vaccinations too

A common misconception is that preventative vaccinations are for children only. What many people do not know is that adult boosters are also available. For example, most adults need a tetanus booster every ten years. There’s also what’s commonly known as the flu jab, an annual influenza vaccination that protects people against this highly contagious respiratory tract illness. This is not only recommended for younger children, but also advised for people who are particularly susceptible to developing more serious illnesses like pneumonia.

The 2016 illegal vaccine scandal

In May 2016, news headlines in China and worldwide were dominated by China’s illegal vaccine scandal, which saw 135 people in 22 provinces arrested for running vaccine businesses without a license. Ten on-duty health officials were also found guilty of knowingly buying illegal vaccines and using them on people at local public health centers.

This was not the first time that a vaccine scandal has occurred. In March 2016, 2 million doses of vaccines were found to be improperly stored. In light of these scandals, expats often opt for treatment at private hospitals for further peace of mind, a higher standard of care, and imported vaccines. Private care does, however, come with a hefty price tag, which is why securing private health insurance is key.

Vaccinations and your health insurance

Vaccinations can be very expensive at private hospitals, so it’s a good idea to check whether your health insurance includes cover for vaccinations. Typically supplied under the outpatient benefit of a number of China health insurance plans, the vaccination benefit will ensure that you and/or your child are protected against the high cost of receiving vaccinations.

Things to look out for

It’s important that you study your policy and look out for all plan limitations. For example, many insurers may cap the coverage amount on that benefit, meaning the limit may not be high enough to reimburse you for all your vaccination expenses. You may also find that the vaccination benefit in your plan is limited only to the types of vaccines it covers.

Cover for vaccinations may also be subject to a waiting period, meaning you’ll need to wait a specific amount of time from when you first secured your plan before you can receive coverage for that benefit. Some plans are also more flexible than others, meaning that you’ll be able to tailor your plan so that they provide the vaccination coverage for your children, rather than the adults in your family.

Vaccinations can be very expensive, which is why it often helps to clarify with your broker or insurer as to whether or not your health insurance covers the vaccination benefit. Contact our team of insurance experts to learn more today!

Disclaimer: Pacific Prime China solely represents, operates and manages locally regulated insurance products and services in the territory of PR China. Any references to Pacific Prime Global Company or Group, the international services, insurance products or otherwise stated written or verbally, is for introduction purposes about our overseas network only as each entity is fully independent.