Supplies of human rabies vaccine increasing

The domestic supply of rabies vaccine for human use is increasing with various efforts taken by authorities and enterprises, following reports of short supplies in some places, the National Health Commission said on Tuesday.

The supply of the vaccine in China, in general, is in a 'tight balance' with demand due to a decrease in production by some enterprises since 2018, resulting in a great depletion of stock, news website ThePaper.cn reported on Tuesday, citing a statement by the commission.

To ensure the supply of rabies vaccine, the commission has worked with some other departments, such as the National Medical Products Administration, to help potential makers of rabies vaccines produce the vaccine and accelerate approval procedures for its availability in the market, the commission said.

Meanwhile, the commission has coordinated with some enterprises to redirect some rabies vaccinesset to be exported to the domestic market, which also has resulted in a gradual increase in the domestic supply of the product.

The commission has guided local health authorities to purchase rabies vaccines in precise amounts, considering the local epidemic situation and demand for vaccination, to avoid excessive buying.

It also required local authorities to organize various education campaigns on rabies prevention and control and to guide the public to raise pets according to regulations and reduce the chances of dogs causing physical injuries to people, the commission said.

The rabies vaccine is not included in the nation's immunization plan, which means it is not provided to the public for free. Supplies of the vaccine have been low in some places recently, such as in Southwest China's Yunnan and North China's Hebei provinces, according to media reports.