Job Discussion Forums

[lodzubelieveit]

Is it legal to take a hepatitis B vaccine and a Japanese encephalitis vaccine with me in my luggage when I enter China? I have these already but my doctor has said there is no time to administer them before I leave for China.

[DosEquisX]

You could always get them while in China instead of bringing them over.

[rogerwilco]

I am not sure about the legalities, but I think that if you have them then you should bring them with you, I would if I were you.
The worst that could probably happen is that they would take them from you.

I have less faith in Chinese hospitals and vaccines, and hepatitis is a very big problem in China.



Can I go on a tangent and share a funny story ?
A few weeks ago I was flying from Shanghai to Hong Kong.
As I was going through the x-ray security in Shanghai I was stopped for having a "suspicious" bottle in my bag.
It was a small bottle of rubbing alcohol that I carry to clean my hands with sometimes. I told the guard that it was alcohol.

First the guard opened the bottle and sniffed it.
Then, he sent another guard to go get a spoon. He then poured some of the alcohol into the spoon and lit it on fire with his lighter !

Thank goodness it was not a poison or an explosive, or he could he been poisoned or blown up both of us .

[DosEquisX]

I have gotten vaccines in China before without any problems.

[JamesD]

No problem if you're carrying a prescription. Ask the doc to scribble something on a pad which includes the name on the vials.

[Miles Smiles]

Uh, no. You cannot carry live antigens into China or across any international border without authorization from the government concerned. I'd take another look at the doctor who issued the live antigens to you.

In fact, I doubt that any doctor issued any vaccine to you.

[lodzubelieveit]

Thank you all for taking the time to reply. However:

1. DosEquisX - I think you might have slightly misunderstood my original post. I have no doubt that these vaccines could be obtained either here in the UK or over there in China. My point is that I already have these vaccines, and my question is whether I am legally able to take them with me into China and have them administered there, instead of just having to chuck them out and lose the money I spent on them.

2. Miles Smiles - I'm afraid I don't follow what you have said, and I think there may be a difference between what you and I understand by the term 'vaccine'. (a) What I have in my fridge at the moment are two little packets, with little vials of liquid in them, that I picked up from a chemist's, having obtained a prescription for them from my GP. These packets have the word 'vaccine' on them. Given these facts, I do not understand why you have written 'I doubt that any doctor issued any vaccine to you'. Could you please explain? Is there some terminological difference in understanding between us? (b) I do not know what the term 'live antigens' means. Again, is there some difference between what you and I understand by the term 'vaccine'? (c) Why are you advising me to 'take another look' at my doctor? I do not understand what you are implying.

My GP advised me that there would be no problem taking such vaccines into the US, for example, on holiday. However, he said he did not know about China. The Chinese embassy in London gave no answer to my query about this. My future employer has said, 'yes, take them with you with a doctor's letter', which coincides with JamesD's advice. I am waiting to hear from the airline I'm flying with to see what they say.

[Miles Smiles]

I did a search on Chinese customs and the handiest was a DHL website that dealt with importing things into China.

It lists biological agents categorized as UN3373 as forbidden. Further searches indicate that category UN3373 substances are biologically hazardous substances such as anthrax. In your case, vaccines wouldn't be considered biologically hazardous.

Forgive my ignorance about how medicines are dispensed outside of the U.S.. China is relaxed, and I supposed Japan isn't as uptight as the U.S. is about prescriptions either.

Apologies.

Opening mouth and inserting foot.

[lodzubelieveit]

Thanks Miles for investigating that; I'm going to assume it's OK to take my stuff with me unless my airline say otherwise. No need to apologise; I assumed we were talking at slightly cross purposes about terminology.

[Shroob]

I've just landed in China and was told on the plane by the automated 'welcome' message about Chinese customs that vaccines are not allowed into the country. That's what it said on the recording anyway.

[lodzubelieveit]

Thanks for the information. One wonders, though, whether that includes my situation of one or two vaccines which have been prescribed by a doctor for personal use. There is no mention of any prohibition on this kind of material on the Shanghai customs webpage, at any rate.

[Miles Smiles]

[rogerwilco]