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Massive flu vaccination underway

By Wang Wen and Wang Hongyi (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-10-22 12:00

Up to 5 million free H1N1 flu vaccinations shots will be available to Beijingers in a major health operation beginning yesterday.

Beijing has reported 5,216 H1N1 cases up until yesterday, a fivefold increase from late September.

Middle and primary schools' students and school staff will have priority because authorities say young adults are most vulnerable.

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About 90 percent infected are under 30, and 80 percent are students, according to the Beijing Municipal Health Bureau.

Other groups include medical staff who working in frontline, public health professionals; people working public service sector such as railway, civil aviation, transport, quarantine; civil servants in the country's important bodies; city's residents aged above 60.

About 1.7 million vaccine shots have been prepared for the first round of injections.

Deng Ying, director of the Beijing Center for Disease Prevention and Control said vaccination was optional. So far, the country is experiencing a second round of H1N1 flu infection that is more widespread and is increasing rapidly.

And as winter approaches the risk of an H1N1 flu outbreak increases, an official said.

"Such vaccination can help prevent the spreading and possible outbreak of H1N1," Pang Xinghuo, an official from the center said. "More doses of the vaccine are set to be approved for release."

According to a survey by the Ministry of Health among local middle and primary schools, nearly 90 percent of students want to be inoculated the H1N1 vaccine.

But parents showed their concern on the safety of the newly developed vaccine.

A woman surnamed Peng told METRO she would ask her daughter's opinion on whether to receive the vaccine. However, she personally felt the seasonal flu vaccine, which her daughter received almost every year, did not work effectively.

Li Chen, mother of a 13-year old boy, was even a little afraid about the vaccine.

"It is still in experiment phase and it's difficult to ensure the safety," she said. Considering her son is healthy in the daily life, she would not accept the vaccine to her son.

Deng Ying said the inoculations have been safe and successful.

Liang Xiaofeng, director of the immunization center in the National CDC said the vaccine on the market was under the strict verification and no links were cut down during the clinical trial and production.

And 13,000 volunteers participated the clinical test.

Liang said the vaccine was an important way to prevent the flu, but not the only way. It is just part of a comprehensive preventing and controlling strategy.