Gao Fu: China has achieved self-reliance in vaccine technology

Xinhuanet, Beijing, July 30 (Xinhua) -- At the just concluded 23rd Annual Meeting of the China Association for Science and Technology, Gao Fu, Chairman of the Chinese Society for Bioengineering, Vice President of the Chinese Medical Association, and Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, reported on the development of Chinese vaccines and the research and development of COVID-19 vaccines. Gao Fu said that China has achieved a high level of self-reliance in vaccine technology.

Gao Fu delivered a keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the 23rd China Association for Science and Technology Annual Conference

A century of progress and development in China's vaccine technology

From the establishment of the Central Epidemic Prevention Office in 1919 to the enactment of special legislation on vaccine management, the "Vaccine Management Law" in 2019, China's vaccine research and development has a history of a hundred years.

Gao Fu said that in the past century, China has always insisted on continuous disease monitoring. Since the 1990s, my country has continuously monitored and reported diseases such as Japanese encephalitis, meningitis, and poliomyelitis, issued early warnings for vaccine-related infectious diseases, and developed targeted vaccines based on monitoring results. From the five vaccines and seven diseases in 1978 to the four vaccines and six diseases in 1981, and then to the current development of the new crown vaccine, the development of vaccine technology has been progressive year by year.

On the other hand, China has been implementing immunization programs since the last century, and all citizens can receive free immunization. The greatest achievement during the national immunization program was the elimination of polio, while the infection rates of measles and hepatitis B were effectively controlled, and the scale of various infectious diseases dropped significantly. As of 2019, the average life expectancy of the Chinese population has risen from 35 years old in the early days of the founding of the People's Republic of China to 77.3 years old. While life expectancy has increased, the mortality rate of newborns has also been declining. The realization of these two goals depends on the implementation of immunization programs and other comprehensive measures, thanks to the country's investment in vaccine research and development and the comprehensive implementation of vaccine programs.

Gao Fu proposed that four conditions must be met to evaluate whether a vaccine is reliable: it must be safe, effective, quality-controlled, and accessible. In recent years, China has made great progress in vaccine research and development, production, supply, and supervision. The variety and output of vaccines are increasing, and the ability to develop vaccines is increasing. China has made significant progress in vaccine research and development.

China's COVID-19 vaccine is at the forefront of self-reliance and self-improvement

At present, China has a total of 7 vaccines, including 5 inactivated vaccines, 1 adenovirus vector vaccine and 1 protein vaccine. Gao Fu said that China's vaccines are at the forefront of the world, thanks to China's long-term scientific research investment in pathogenic microorganisms and immunology in recent years, as well as basic research at the forefront of the world. The leading level of technology and science has laid a good scientific and technological foundation. Therefore, when we need to ask science for answers, science can give us answers. When the new crown epidemic broke out, my country spent less than a week on the existing scientific basis to thoroughly study the new coronavirus and fully understand its sequencing, sequence, diagnostic reagents and virus isolation.

Facing new variants, are our vaccines still effective? Gao Fu said that vaccination can provide basic immunity, which is reflected in the four aspects of preventing infection, preventing disease, preventing transmission, and preventing severe illness and death. Basic immunity can significantly reduce the burden of the disease.

The development of the vaccine industry and the construction of a healthy China are inseparable from scientific and technological innovation. Gao Fu said: "We need to find a universal vaccine and strive to prevent all kinds of possible coronaviruses." We should insist on asking science for answers, pay attention to and tackle core technologies, focus on solving bottlenecks and brain problems, and continue to help China's vaccine science and technology self-reliance.

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