Hanoi (VNA) – Parents in Indonesia were recommended on June 29 to consult doctors and consider the re-inoculation for their children as a large-scale counterfeit vaccine scandal was uncovered in the country.
Last week, Indonesian police smashed a gang accused of selling fake vaccines for more than a decade to health clinics across the nation.
Sixteen people, including a married couple believed to be the ringleaders, were arrested. They are charged with distributing fake vaccines against numerous diseases, including tuberculosis, hepatitis B and tetanus.
The country’s Health Ministry is coordinating with the police to determine the scale of the case. The national food and drugs agency has confiscated vaccines from nearly 30 health clinics.
The scandal was brought to light after a major pharmaceutical company alerted Indonesian authorities that some of its products had been counterfeited.
The case has caused nationwide concern and condemnation, with Indonesian President Joko Widodo demanding the harshest punishment possible for this "extraordinary crime".-VNA