China health authorities have started a nationwide inspection of vaccinations four months after a scandal broke involving nearly $90 million worth of illegal vaccines that were suspected of being sold in dozens of provinces. Authorities will track purchases as well as the distribution of vaccines and vaccination records, to ensure they are legally traded and properly handled and used, the National Health and Family Planning Commission said in a statement published online, Reuters reported. Random checks will be conducted at 20% of hospitals and clinics providing vaccinations, while all disease control and prevention agencies nationwide will be inspected, it said. In March, authorities pledged to crack down on the black market sale of vaccines after a mother and daughter in Shandong province were found to have illegally bought vaccines from traders and sold on to hundreds of
re-sellers around China.
