China Punishes Hundreds Of Officials Over Tainted Vaccine Scandal

The China State Council said 357 government officials are facing expulsion and major repercussions the news about the tainted vaccine scandal erupted. The Chinese government said that the illegal sale of improperly stored vaccines will cost hundreds of officials their job, as per CNN.

So far, 192 criminal charges were filed, according to BBC. The illegally transported and improperly stored vaccines were allegedly sent to 59 health institutions. The Chinese community was greatly displeased with the scandal. Some argued that the government should have acted abruptly since the illegal vaccine ring had been reportedly operational in China since 2011.

In another report by CNN, there are over $88 million or 570 million Yuan worth of vaccines illegally sold in China over a period of several years. Some pharmaceutical companies involved in the illegal trade were also ordered to cease operations to aid the investigations.

China has been plagued by health and food issues; that's why when the news about the recent vaccine scandal broke, the Chinese community went berserk.

Aside from the economic implications of losing millions of dollars to illegal trade, another pressing issue concerning this scandal is the safety of the medicines which are illegally transported and improperly stored.

The World Health Organization (WHO) in China said that vaccines tend to lose their efficacy if handled incorrectly. The vaccines are intended for children. The illegal vaccine trade will not only affect the economy but bears a bigger impact on the health of children in China.

With the tainted vaccine scandal looming all over the country, BBC quoted the English-language China Daily who said that parents are having reservations about the government's credibility and have even stopped their kids' vaccination.

The punishment of local officials gave the impression that the culture of impunity in Chinese government can be avoided. According to Beijing News via BBC, the action of the government is a warning to certain officials that they could not hide illegal actions.

The community is hopeful that by pointing out the organizer of the illegal vaccine ring and by punishing the hundreds of officials tasked to manage the countries affairs, the illegal vaccine syndicates in China will finally be put to an end.