Imported HPV vaccines become available in mainland China

Human papillomavirus (HPV) describes a large group of related viruses that cause warts. These can be harmless, but genital infections in women can lead to cervical cancer. Two types of HPV vaccines are now available (in Chinese) in mainland China, after approval from China’s Food and Drug Administration.

• Cervarix, developed and manufactured by British pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline, first entered the Chinese market in July last year.
• It can protect against HPV type 16 and HPV type 18 viruses, which account for 70 percent of the causes of cervical cancer.
• People aged 9 to 25 are eligible for this vaccine.
• It costs about 2,000 yuan ($333).
• Gardasil 4 is developed and manufactured by U.S. pharmaceutical company Merck & Co.
• It can effectively prevent several types of less common HPV viruses.
• People aged 20 to 45 are eligible for this vaccine.
• It costs about 2,500 yuan ($416).

Social media reactions to the vaccines’ availability were generally positive. One typical response (in Chinese) was: “I am spending money to buy insurance. This is not expensive.”

EARLIER THIS WEEK:

• Chinese poet Yu Guangzhong dies at age 90

The poet, known for his humor and humanism, was celebrated both in mainland China, where he was born, and in Taiwan, where he had lived since fleeing with his family in 1950.

• People’s Daily — ‘Buddhist youths: Stop being so chill about everything’

The official mouthpiece of the Communist Party has taken issue with the prevailing attitude of “whatevs” among the post-1990s generation. “Buddhist youths” (佛系青年 fúxì qīngnián), a term adopted by young Chinese to mean something more like “slacker,” were the subject of two op-ed pieces this week taking a stand against “demotivational” culture. “Young people by nature should be energetic, positive, passionate about life, and curious about the world,” wrote the author of one.

• ‘Please stop watching us’: Live-stream video platform accused of privacy violations

Live broadcasting service Waterdrop came under fire after a citizen journalist exposed its 657-camera network of surveillance cameras installed across Beijing — in places such as classrooms, restaurants, stores, and gyms — with the footage of unsuspecting people streamed publicly to its viewers.

• Changes in video policy after daredevil’s fatal fall

China’s social media and video-streaming platforms are restricting viewing of dangerous stunts, a move that comes after a popular stunt climber was confirmed to have died while scaling a skyscraper.

• The Chinese word of the year shortlist 

A group led by the People’s Daily announced the contenders for the 2017 “Character of the Year and Word of the Year.” Not surprisingly given the source, many of the contenders have positive connotations. Among the finalists are the characters for “share” and “strong” (享 xiǎng and 强 qiáng), and, in the word category, “new era” (新时代 xīnshídài) and “artificial intelligence” (人工智能 réngōngzhìnéng).

More news from today

• Facial recognition fail
  Chinese woman offered refund after facial recognition allows colleague to unlock iPhone X / SCMP
• Gender inequality
  ‘Simply kicked out’: How village committees deprive women of their land rights / Caixin
• What not to live-stream
  Chinese man jailed for a year for insulting Genghis Khan / SCMP
• Grave robbing
  Chinese police arrest suspected serial grave robber / SCMP
• Sexy cyborgs (?)
  How Naomi Wu wants to change the tech scene’s sexist wiring / Sixth Tone
• Korean entertainment
  A Chinese K-pop groupie in search of music / BBC
• The first university students after the Cultural Revolution
  China’s Class of 1977: I took an exam that changed China / BBC