A shot in the arm for vaccination plan

After adverse publicity resulted in public doubts about the safety of vaccinations, China's health authorities are making moves to boost the inoculation program, as Yang Wanli reports.

At the ripe old age of 40, Wu Jiang has spent the last two weeks attempting to get to grips with WeChat, a popular instant-messaging application in China. As the director of the Immunization Department at the Beijing Center of Disease Control, Wu is keen to learn how his team can use new media to promote awareness of the national immunization program.

In April, the CDC registered a public WeChat account called "Capital Vaccine and Immunization" which sends subscribers regular updates. "Online apps are new to me, so sometimes it's difficult to learn how to use them, but the lack of reliable healthcare information available to the public should be corrected by our efforts. Some people have doubts about the safety of vaccines, so we need to provide them with accurate information. These new messaging tools are all the rage, so why not use them?" Wu said.