Financing the introduction of new vaccines to the national immunisation programme in China: challenges and options for action

This research, conducted by Prof. Dan Wu from Nanjing Medical University and collaborators, was published in BMC Global and Public Health and focuses on the feasibility of the pay-it-forward strategy in increasing vaccine uptake.The commentary highlights that the pay-it-forward approach demonstrates scalability and cross-cultural adaptability, with the potential to be integrated with digital tools and government immunisation programs to promote equitable vaccine access and advance the goal of universal health coverage.

This research was conducted by Prof. Qian Long, Yu Wang and team from Duke Kunshan University and published in Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics., It examines the administration of non-National Immunization Program (non-NIP) vaccines among children under six in rural Henan, based on a survey of 1,051 participants. The findings reveal that over a quarter of children had not received any non-NIP vaccines, with high costs and inadequate physician-caregiver communication being the main barriers.

This research was conducted by Prof. Xiaolin Xu and team from Zhejiang University and published in Vaccines, examines zero-dose self-paid vaccination among migrant and left-behind children. Based on a survey of 1,648 children in Zhejiang and Henan, the study found that migrant and rural children were more likely to be unvaccinated, influenced by caregivers’ lower education, income, and lack of information. The study highlights the need to prioritize self-paid immunization efforts for migrant and rural children to achieve the WHO Immunization Agenda 2030 goal of “leaving no one behind.”