Health Check China’s latest bid to boost its birth rate
Jan 7, 2026
Dorcas Wangira, a global health reporter, discusses China's drastic new tax on contraceptives aimed at boosting its birth rate, highlighting public skepticism and health risks. Bart Lambrecht, a pulmonary medicine professor, shares insights on how RSV vaccination could potentially lower childhood asthma rates, backed by compelling research. They also cover the success of school-based HPV programs in achieving herd immunity, and the fascinating benefits of Finnish sauna culture on health and wellness.
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Taxing Contraception Won’t Quickly Raise Births
- China removed a long-standing tax exemption and now applies a 13% VAT to contraceptives, including condoms, to try to raise birth rates.
- Experts worry this could increase STIs and won't quickly reverse decades-long low fertility trends.
Fertility Push Uses Mixed Incentives
- China pairs the tax change with pro-natalist measures like childcare tax breaks, cash bonuses, and promotion of positive family messaging.
- Critics say these policies risk coercion and ignore the real costs of raising children.
RSV Prevention Could Reduce Childhood Asthma
- Severe RSV infection in infancy increases later asthma risk; Danish data and mouse experiments support causality.
- Preventive antibodies or vaccines blocked asthma development in mice, suggesting vaccines could cut childhood asthma by ~15%.