Choosing a Baby Vaccine Package in Shanghai: What Parents Should Check Before Paying

Many private clinics and hospitals in Shanghai offer baby vaccine packages, well-baby packages, or child health packages. These can be helpful, especially for new parents who want a clear schedule, reliable vaccine planning, and continuity with a pediatrician.

But vaccine packages can also be confusing. Some include only the basic vaccines. Some exclude important self-paid vaccines. Some use broad words like “meningitis vaccine,” “pneumonia vaccine,” or “imported vaccine” without clearly explaining what is actually included.

For parents, the most useful question is not only:

“How much discount do I get?”

A better question is:

“Does this package give my child the right vaccines, at the right age, with clear records, and with a plan that still makes sense if we move country later?”

Check also the information on screening tests often part of these “well-baby packages”

1. Vaccination in Shanghai follows an official system

Children in Shanghai need proper vaccination records. These records may be needed for nursery, kindergarten, and school entry. Shanghai also provides an electronic vaccination certificate through the Suishenban app or mini program.  

The official China/Shanghai schedule includes vaccines such as:

• hepatitis B,
• BCG,
• polio,
• DTaP,
• MMR,
• Japanese encephalitis,
• meningococcal A / AC vaccines,
• hepatitis A,
• varicella in Shanghai,
• and booster vaccines later in childhood.

China also updated its pertussis-containing vaccine schedule from 2025. DTaP is now scheduled at 2 months, 4 months, 6 months, 18 months, and 6 years, replacing the previous routine use of DT at 6 years. This matters because DT protects against diphtheria and tetanus, but not pertussis.  

A private vaccine package should not create a separate, disconnected plan. It should help your child stay compliant with the Shanghai vaccination record while also discussing important optional vaccines.

2. “Optional” does not mean “unimportant”

In China, vaccines are often divided into:

Immunization-program vaccines
These are the vaccines included in the official public schedule and normally provided free of charge in local public vaccination clinics.

Non-immunization-program vaccines
These are vaccines that are not provided free of charge in local public vaccination clinics. They are often called “self-paid” or “optional” vaccines.

This wording can be confusing for foreign families.

Here, “self-paid” does not mean anything about your private insurance coverage. It simply means that the vaccine is not part of the free public vaccination program. Whether your insurance may reimburse it is a separate issue.

Also, in a private clinic, even vaccines that would be free in a local public vaccination clinic are usually charged as part of the private service. So “free vaccine” and “self-paid vaccine” are public-system categories, not necessarily what you will see on a private clinic bill.

Most importantly, “self-paid” does not mean medically unimportant.

For example, pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, rotavirus vaccine, EV71 vaccine, Hib-containing combination vaccines, influenza vaccine, and meningococcal ACWY conjugate vaccine may be very relevant for a child living in China or for an internationally mobile family.

A good vaccine plan should be based on:

• the child’s age,
• local disease risk,
• vaccine availability,
• future travel,
• future school requirements,
• and possible relocation abroad.

It should not be based only on whether a vaccine is free or self-paid.

3. Vaccine spacing: official rules and real clinic practice may differ

Parents are sometimes told: “These two vaccines cannot be given together.”

Sometimes this is medically or officially correct. Sometimes it reflects the vaccination computer system, product instructions, clinic policy, vaccine stock, or local workflow.

In general, vaccines that are not both injectable live attenuated vaccines can often be given on the same day, using different injection sites when needed. This means that two inactivated vaccines can usually be given at the same visit, and an inactivated vaccine can usually be given on the same day as a live vaccine. The main spacing rule is for two injectable live attenuated vaccines: if they are not given on the same day, they should usually be separated by at least 28 days.

In real Shanghai practice, parents may still encounter stricter operational rules. For example, some clinics may refuse to give PCV13 and DTaP-IPV or DTaP-IPV-Hib on the same day, citing the centralized vaccination system or clinic rules. This may be a real operational limitation, even if it is not the same as a general national immunology rule.

A useful parent question is:

If these vaccines are not given together, is the interval required by national guidance, Shanghai’s vaccination system, the vaccine product instructions, or your clinic’s own policy?

This is not an argument with the nurse. It is a practical clarification.

4. What does “imported vaccine” mean in Shanghai?

Many foreign parents ask whether their baby can receive imported vaccines in Shanghai.

The answer is: sometimes yes, but “imported” needs to be understood correctly.

In Shanghai, a clinic cannot simply buy vaccines abroad, bring them from Hong Kong, Europe, Singapore, or the United States, and administer them privately. Vaccines used by vaccination clinics must be approved for use in China, pass China’s batch-release process, and be supplied through the official vaccine supply and cold-chain system. China’s Vaccine Administration Law says vaccine marketing authorization holders supply vaccines to disease prevention and control institutions, which then supply vaccination units; other entities or individuals may not supply vaccines to vaccination units, and vaccination units may not accept them.  

So when a clinic says it offers an “imported vaccine,” this usually means:

• the vaccine is made by an international manufacturer or overseas production site;
• it is legally approved for use in China;
• it has passed Chinese lot/batch release;
• it is distributed through the official Chinese vaccine system;
• it can be recorded properly in the child’s vaccination record.

It does not mean:

• the clinic is using foreign clinic stock;
• the vaccine was hand-carried from overseas;
• parents can bring their own vaccine from abroad;
• the product is necessarily identical to what is stocked in a clinic in Europe or the US.

Imported does not automatically mean better. Domestic does not automatically mean inferior. The better question is:

Is this the right vaccine product for my child’s age, schedule, risk, and future plans?

5. Vaccines parents should check carefully in a baby package

Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine

Pneumococcal disease can cause pneumonia, meningitis, sepsis, and ear infections. In many countries, pneumococcal conjugate vaccine is part of routine infant vaccination.

In China, PCV13 is available but is not part of the national immunization program. China CDC Weekly notes that PCV13 is not included in China’s immunization program and that three PCV13 versions were available in China at the time of that report.  

Mainland China infant pneumococcal vaccination is mainly PCV13-based. Higher-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccines such as PCV15 or PCV20, now used in some countries, should not be assumed to be available in mainland China. A 2025 review describes China’s available pneumococcal vaccine market as PCV13 and PPV23.  

Parents should ask:

Is PCV included?
Is it PCV13?
How many doses are included?
If we later move to a country using PCV15 or PCV20, how should the schedule be continued?

Hib-containing vaccine

Hib vaccine protects against Haemophilus influenzae type b, which can cause meningitis, pneumonia, epiglottitis, and sepsis.

In many countries, Hib is routine and often included in combination vaccines such as DTaP-IPV-Hib. In China, Hib-containing combination vaccines may be available in private settings but may not be included in a basic package.

Your recommended international-facing schedule includes DTaP-IPV-Hib from infancy, with later booster dosing.  

Parents should ask:

Does the package include Hib protection, or only DTaP/IPV without Hib?

EV71 vaccine

EV71 vaccine is especially relevant in China because EV71 is one of the important causes of hand, foot and mouth disease and is associated with severe cases.

EV71 vaccine is usually self-paid and may be excluded from commercial packages. This is a common hidden gap.

Your proposed schedule includes EV71 as a two-dose series around 6.5 and 7.5 months.  

Parents should ask:

Does the package include the full two-dose EV71 series?
If not, how much does it cost separately?

Influenza vaccine

Influenza vaccine is recommended yearly from 6 months of age for children without contraindications. The first flu season usually requires two doses if the child has never received influenza vaccine before.

A package may focus on the first-year infant vaccines but forget annual influenza afterward.

Parents should ask:

Does the package include influenza vaccination from 6 months?
Does it include the two-dose first season when needed?
Does it include yearly follow-up?

Meningococcal vaccines: A, AC, ACWY, conjugate, polysaccharide

Parents should not accept the vague phrase “meningitis vaccine included.” There are different meningococcal vaccines.

China’s routine schedule has traditionally included meningococcal A in infancy and AC polysaccharide vaccine later. But meningococcal ACWY conjugate vaccine is now available in China. CanSino’s ACYW135 meningococcal conjugate vaccine, Menhycia, was approved in China, with reports describing approval for young children from 3 months of age.  

This matters because conjugate vaccines work better in young children than polysaccharide vaccines. Polysaccharide vaccines generally produce weaker and less durable responses in children under 2 years, while conjugate vaccines are designed to produce better infant immune responses and immune memory.

Infants and young children are also an important risk group for invasive meningococcal disease. A review of meningococcal vaccines in China notes that children under 5, especially infants, are among the important high-risk groups.  

Parents should ask:

Is the meningococcal vaccine A, AC, or ACWY?
Is it conjugate or polysaccharide?
From what age is it given?
How many doses are included?

For international families, ACWY conjugate may be more relevant than an older A/AC-only approach.

Meningococcal B

Meningococcal B vaccine is used or recommended in some European countries, but it is not routinely available in mainland China. China’s meningococcal vaccine landscape focuses mainly on A, C, W, and Y vaccines, not MenB.  

Parents moving to or from Europe should ask:

If MenB is recommended in our home country, should we plan it abroad?

If MenB is recommended in our home country, should we plan it abroad?

Japanese encephalitis vaccine

Japanese encephalitis vaccine is recommended in China. Product type matters.

China uses both live attenuated and inactivated Japanese encephalitis vaccine schedules. Your recommended schedule reflects this difference: live vaccine in local public clinics may follow a shorter schedule, while inactivated vaccine requires more doses.  

Internationally, product availability differs. Hong Kong has both IXIARO, an inactivated Japanese encephalitis vaccine, and IMOJEV, a live attenuated chimeric Japanese encephalitis vaccine, registered.   In the United States, CDC describes IXIARO as the Japanese encephalitis vaccine option, given as a two-dose series from 2 months of age.  

Parents should ask:

Which Japanese encephalitis vaccine is included: live or inactivated?
How many total doses are needed?
Can this schedule be continued if we move country?
What exact product name will be written in the vaccine record?

Do not mix Japanese encephalitis vaccine schedules casually without medical advice.

Varicella and hepatitis A

Varicella and hepatitis A are important parts of the preventive vaccine discussion in Shanghai/China and for many international families.

Parents should ask:

Is varicella included as one dose or two doses?
Is hepatitis A included as one dose or the full series?

DTaP booster after early childhood

Many international schedules include a pertussis-containing booster around 4–6 years.

China’s 2025 update is important because DTaP is now scheduled at 6 years, replacing the previous routine DT-only approach for that age.  

Parents should ask:

What is the plan for the 4–6 year pertussis-containing booster?
Can the private clinic provide it, or should it be done at the local vaccination center?

A package that covers only birth to 2 years may still need to explain what happens afterward.

Rabies vaccine

Rabies vaccine is available in Shanghai, but it is usually not a routine baby-package vaccine. It is mainly handled through designated dog-bite or rabies-exposure clinics after animal bites or scratches.

Shanghai has multiple 24-hour rabies clinics, including Jiahui International Hospital and Shanghai United Family Hospital among listed sites.  Jiahui states that its 24-hour rabies prevention clinic provides both pre-exposure immunization and post-exposure treatment. 

Rabies vaccine may be available in some private vaccination centers, including Parkway Shanghai Hospital’s vaccination center, but rabies exposure after an animal bite or scratch is different from routine vaccination. For post-exposure care, parents should confirm whether the clinic is a designated dog-bite/rabies-exposure clinic and whether it can provide wound care, rabies vaccine, and rabies immunoglobulin if needed. If unsure, use Shanghai’s official 24-hour rabies clinic list or call ahead before going.

For most babies, rabies vaccine is not a routine package item. But pre-exposure vaccination may be considered for selected high-risk families: frequent animal contact, rural travel, travel to areas with delayed medical access, or families who may not be able to access care rapidly after an exposure.

Parents should ask:

If my child has an animal bite or scratch, where should we go?
Is rabies vaccine available?
Is rabies immunoglobulin available if needed?

6. Vaccines or products that may not be available in mainland China

Some vaccines are recommended or used internationally but may not be available, routinely available, or easily available in mainland China.

Important examples include:

The practical lesson: if your family may move country, keep exact vaccine names and dates, not only disease names.

7. Which vaccines are usually local, imported, or mixed?

This can change by year, district, clinic, and stock. Still, parents can think about it this way.

Usually local/domestic in public program settings

These are commonly domestic products when given through the official public schedule:

• hepatitis B,
• BCG,
• polio vaccines,
• DTaP,
• MMR,
• Japanese encephalitis,
• meningococcal A / AC,
• hepatitis A,
• varicella in Shanghai,
• school-age DT/DTaP boosters.

Mixed domestic/imported depending on clinic and stock

These may be domestic or imported depending on availability:

• PCV13,
• rotavirus,
• influenza,
• rabies,
• Hib or combination vaccines,
• HPV later in childhood/adolescence.

Often not available in mainland China as routine pediatric options

• MenB,
• PCV15 / PCV20,
• many European-style hexavalent vaccines,
• some travel vaccine products used in Hong Kong, Europe, or the US.

A package should be transparent about which product is being used. “Imported” is not enough.

What happens if a vaccine is out of stock?
Will you delay, substitute, refund, or refer us elsewhere?
Does the substitute change the number of doses or timing?

10. Parent checklist before buying a vaccine package

Before paying, ask the clinic for a written vaccine table and check these points.

Practical conclusion

A good vaccine package is not simply the cheapest package. It is the one that gives parents a clear, medically coherent, and realistic plan.

For a baby in Shanghai, the package should do three things:

1. Respect the official Shanghai/China immunization schedule and vaccination record system.
2. Include or clearly discuss important self-paid vaccines, especially for international families.
3. Be transparent about vaccine products, doses, intervals, exclusions, stock, and follow-up.

The most important question is not:

“How many vaccines are included?”

The better question is:

“Does this package protect my child properly, at the right time, with the right vaccine products, and with records that will still make sense if we move country later?”

11. How to find a local vaccination clinic in Shanghai

Parents do not always need to receive every vaccine in a private clinic. For vaccines that are part of the official Shanghai/China public schedule, it may be possible to receive them at the local community vaccination clinic close to home.

This can matter because some vaccines that are charged in private clinics may be provided free of charge in local public vaccination clinics, when they are part of the public immunization program. Parents may then choose to use the local clinic for official program vaccines, and use a private clinic for vaccines that are not available there, for English-language counseling, international schedule planning, or special vaccine products.

In Shanghai, parents can search for vaccination clinics through 随申办 / Suishenban, 健康云 / Health Cloud, or the “上海疾控” WeChat official account. The official route is to enter “智慧接种” and choose “接种点查询”. This can show community vaccination clinics, public special/VIP vaccination clinics, and private special/VIP vaccination clinics. Shanghai’s official guidance says families can then contact the community clinic near their residence by phone or online appointment, or choose a special clinic for vaccination (Shanghai Municipal Government).  

For non-Chinese readers, Shanghai also has an English government page listing selected vaccination clinics for expats in Shanghai, including clinic type, address, service hours, and phone number. This list is useful, but it mainly covers selected expat/VIP/special clinics and does not replace the full local clinic search inside Suishenban or Health Cloud (Shanghai Municipal Government English site).  

Parents can also use Shanghai’s electronic vaccination-certificate tools. For nursery, kindergarten, and school entry, Shanghai allows parents to obtain vaccination verification online through 随申办 or 健康云 via the 智慧接种 module. This is especially useful for children who have completed routine vaccination in Shanghai; children vaccinated elsewhere may first need their previous records reviewed and entered by a vaccination unit (Shanghai Education Commission).  

A practical approach is:

• use the local community vaccination clinic for official public-program vaccines when appropriate;
• use a private clinic for vaccines not available at the local clinic, international schedule planning, English-language medical counseling, or special vaccine products;
• keep one complete vaccine record with exact dates, vaccine names, manufacturers, and dose numbers;
• ask both clinics how the record will be updated if vaccines are given in more than one place.

Before buying a private package, parents can ask:

Which vaccines in this package could be received at the local community vaccination clinic?
Which vaccines are only available here or in selected private/special clinics?
Will you help coordinate the public and private vaccine records?
If we receive some vaccines locally and some here, will the schedule still be medically coherent?
Can you provide the exact vaccine names and dose dates in English if we later move abroad?

This is not only about saving money. It is about making sure the child receives the right vaccines, avoids unnecessary duplication, and keeps a clear record that works both in Shanghai and internationally.