Discussion keeps the world turning.
Big news for China's health care program,
as the country plans to add its domestic HPV vaccine to its national immunization program this year,
making it free for school-aged girls.
This is the first revision of China's national immunization program in 17 years,
so why now and how will the policy help protect public health?
We are live from Beijing.
This is Roundtable.
I'm Steve.
Thank you very much for being with us today.
And for the program, I'm joined by Niu Honglin, and you should first on the show.
China has announced its first update to the National Immunization Program in 17 years.
This is a very big deal.
The change is a domestically produced HPV vaccine.
It's a landmark policy that will provide free vaccination to school-aged girls.
It's a strategic move aimed at drastically reducing the future burden of cervical cancer by overcoming critical barriers of cost and limited access.
By integrating the vaccine into routine public health services,
China aims to achieve the high vaccination coverage necessary for herd immunity,
protecting individual health,
and also advancing national goals for health equity and long-term wellness.