Updated on
Summary
Beijing on Wednesday began a mass vaccination programme against the new H1N1 strain of flu, with around five million residents in the capital city due to be given the shots by the end of this year. Primary and middle school students, medical staff, public service workers, and people aged over 60 are among the five million who will be vaccinated for free, according to city officials. Students at Chuiyangliu Middle School were some of the first to be vaccinated under the programme. The school notified the parents of all of its 651 students, and 535 sets of parents allowed their children to get the shots. Despite worries about possible side-effects, some parents still signed the contract which allowed the vaccination to be administered.China is experiencing a second round of H1N1 flu infection, as recent infections are increasing more rapidly, a chief epidemiologist at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention was quoted saying by the official China Daily on Tuesday (October 20). Mainland China had reported at least 28,948 cases of H1N1 flu by October 19. Two people have died, according to the Health Ministry.
