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Many risk factors associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes can be identified and modified preconceptionally. Despite a broad consensus that preconception care should be provided to all couples of reproductive age, it has not been integrated in routine healthcare. There are several barriers to its implementation, and even in the most resourceful countries, it is only provided to some select high-risk groups, rather than being an organized healthcare service provision to all. Recently, China seems to be leading the way by implementing preconception care nationwide in all rural areas. Its National Free Preconception Health Examination Project is a unique model of comprehensive preconception care. Advantages of this ambitious project are now becoming evident and benefiting the most vulnerable sections of Chinese society. This commentary provides an overview of National Free Preconception Health Examination Project and highlights the concepts that could be further developed and adapted into a model of preconception care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Among the more than 20 human enteroviruses that can cause HFMD,[4] enterovirus A71 (EV-A71) stands out as one of the most clinically significant serotypes, being associated with severe disease outcomes more frequently than other common causes such as coxsackievirus A16. Although these vaccines are already being used in China for opt-in community vaccination programmes, they are indicated only for children older than 6 months.[7] Additionally, even though vaccine effectiveness had been evaluated and deemed effective, in a test-negative case-control study by Wang and colleagues,[7] vaccine effectiveness for younger children aged 6-23 months was lower than that for those aged 24-71 months. 120, 2007, e244-e252 7 X Wang, Z An, D Huo, Enterovirus A71 vaccine effectiveness in preventing enterovirus A71 infection among medically-attended hand, foot, and mouth disease cases, Beijing, China. [Extracted from the article]