Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics

Advancing Immunization in China: Bridging Policy, Evidence, and Practice

Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics is pleased to welcome you to submit your research to the Article Collection "Advancing Immunization in China: Bridging Policy, Evidence, and Practice".

Over the past several decades, China’s National Immunization Program (NIP) has achieved remarkable and far-reaching success, driving the incidence of numerous vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs) to historic lows and substantially reducing the associated disease burden. China has established robust and reliable immunization protection for more than one-sixth of the world’s population, making it an indispensable component of global immunization programs. Despite these notable achievements, several vaccines prioritized by the WHO—including pneumococcal conjugate vaccines and rotavirus vaccines—have yet to be integrated into the NIP, highlighting that China’s immunization program still has room for improvement. High-quality, locally generated evidence on the epidemiology, real-world effectiveness, disease burden, and health economics of non‑NIP vaccines remains limited. Concurrently, non‑NIP vaccines are administered on a voluntary, self‑paid basis—a context in which overall coverage levels fall well below optimal targets and vaccine hesitancy has grown increasingly pronounced. Notably, a range of innovative interventions—such as vaccine prescription models, pay‑it‑forward schemes, and digital health messaging—have been piloted and evaluated in selected regions of China. Findings from this exploratory research offer promising pathways to address the aforementioned gaps.

Developing evidence-informed immunization strategies and proactively addressing implementation challenges are critical to sustaining and enhancing the progress achieved under China’s National Immunization Program (NIP). Without rigorous, systematically generated data on epidemiology, real-world vaccine effectiveness, disease burden, and cost-effectiveness, public health decision-makers lack the scientific foundation necessary to prioritize new vaccine introductions and optimize programmatic planning. Low coverage of non-NIP vaccines not only leaves populations vulnerable to preventable diseases but also undermines progress toward broader public health goals. Understanding the underlying factors influencing vaccine confidence and developing scalable, effective interventions to increase uptake are equally vital for building durable population immunity. This Collection aims to compile high-quality research conducted in China, translating evidence into actionable insights that support the ongoing optimization of immunization strategies and contribute to the long-term sustainability of immunization programs both in China and globally.

This Collection welcomes high-quality original research, systematic reviews, intervention evaluations, and policy assessments conducted within the context of Chinese immunization. Particular emphasis is placed on studies that bridge evidence generation, policy formulation, and implementation practice. Priority will be given to manuscripts addressing the following areas:

1. Epidemiological dynamics, disease burden, and health economic evaluations of vaccine-preventable diseases in China, with a special focus on original research related to non-NIP vaccines.
2. Barriers to vaccine access, disparities in immunization coverage, and factors driving vaccine hesitancy across China.
3. Vaccine hesitancy, confidence, and trust-with an emphasis on non-mandated immunization settings and the socio-behavioural factors influencing vaccine acceptance.
4. Innovative interventions to improve vaccination uptake, accompanied by rigorous evaluations of their effectiveness.
5. Field epidemiological evidence to inform and strengthen immunization policy and program optimization in China.
6. Phase I-III clinical trials of vaccines conducted in China.
7. Real world effectiveness and safety of vaccines following new introduction or changes in immunization strategies.
8. Knowledge, attitude, and practices towards immunizations across China.

Keywords: Health economic evaluation; Vaccine hesitancy; Immunization policy; Equitable access; Innovative interventions

Meet the Guest Advisors

Dr. Qin Wei is chief expert at the Lu’an Center for Disease Control and Prevention Affiliated to Anhui Medical University, where he also serves as director of the immunization program. He has long been dedicated to EPI-related work in China, focusing on optimizing immunization strategies, conducting health economic evaluations of vaccines, managing outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases, evaluating the real-world effectiveness of post-marketing vaccines, and monitoring and responding to adverse events following immunization. Additionally, Dr. Qin is a graduate of the 15th cohort of the Chinese Field Epidemiology Training Program (CFETP) and has served as a mentor for the program. He maintains a strong interest in field epidemiology and in evaluating health policy interventions and their public health impacts.

Dr. Wang Binbing is a senior researcher and director of the immunization program at the Anhui Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention in China. She also serves on the Technical Working Group on Immunization Service Standards within the National Immunization Program Technical Working Group. Dr. Wang has extensive experience in immunization program management, vaccine delivery, and the prevention and control of vaccine-preventable infectious diseases. Her expertise encompasses public health policy implementation, routine immunization services, and outbreak response. Her work focuses on strengthening standardized immunization services, optimizing vaccine supply chains and cold chain management, improving surveillance systems for vaccine-preventable diseases, and promoting evidence-based strategies to enhance population immunity and public health outcomes in China.

Dr. Li Dan is a junior researcher in the Department of Immunization Program at the Hubei Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention in China. She holds a Doctor of Medicine degree from Wuhan University. Dr. Li is a member of the National Vaccine Working Group and serves as an adjunct graduate advisor at the School of Public Health, Wuhan University. She holds committee appointments in several branches of the China Vaccine Industry Association, including the Clinical Research Branch, the Immunization Program Branch, and the Enterovirus Disease Prevention and Control Branch. Additionally, she is a standing committee member of the Epidemiology Branch of the Hubei Preventive Medicine Association. A graduate and lecturer of the Chinese Field Epidemiology Training Program (CFETP), Dr. Li focuses her research on the prevention and control of vaccine-preventable infectious diseases, immunization programs, field epidemiological investigations, and clinical vaccine research. She is committed to advancing vaccinology and public health, with a continued focus on promoting population health at both regional and national levels.

The Guest Advisors declare no conflicts of interest related to this work.