Migrants' children are entitled to the same government inoculations as their urban peers, a senior official with the Ministry of Health said early this week.

Ministry spokesman Mao Qun'an said the government would also improve inoculation services to people in poor and remote areas.

He called on all health administrations to educate migrants on the benefits of inoculation. This year, China launched a national program to ensure that every child in kindergarten and higher grades be fully inoculated.

Mao said the World Health Organization had confirmed that China had no cases of poliomyelitis since 2000. However, the myelitis virus still affected many people in neighboring countries.

But the number of measles cases surged in China last year, as well as the outbreak or spread of epidemic cerebrospinal meningitis and epidemic encephalitis B.

"Therefore, we need to pay more attention to, and take concrete steps to improve, vaccination work," Mao said.

China began a nationwide inoculation program for children in 1978 and established a National Children's Inoculation Day in 1986 on April 25 of each year.

It is believed the country has 19.81 million children of migrant workers, accounting for 19.37 percent of the total migrant population. The government has taken steps to ensure that migrant children enjoy the same public services as urban children in terms of education, health and civil rights.

Earlier this year, Beijing with the nation's highest migrant population, estimated at 4 million promised the same services for migrants as for the locals in healthcare, education and family planning.

(China Daily April 14, 2006)