Chinese mainland A/H1N1 flu patients near 16,000

BEIJING, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese mainland confirmed 1,387 new cases of the A/H1N1 influenza in the 48 hours ending 3 p.m. Friday, bringing the total number to 15,968, according to the Ministry of Health.

Of the new cases, only six were "imported cases," while the rest were all infected on the Chinese mainland, the ministry said Friday.

So far, no deaths from A/H1N1 virus have been reported on the Chinese mainland, but Taiwan has reported 17 deaths, of whom two were pregnant women.

China issued a warrant for mass inoculation of A/H1N1 flu vaccine on Sept. 8 after it approved vaccines produced by several domestic pharmaceutical companies including Sinovac and Hualan days earlier.

Beijing has been leading the country in inoculation. About 39,000 residents in the city had been inoculated by Tuesday afternoon, with 14 cases of adverse reaction.

According to Liang Xiaofeng, director of the immunization center under the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC), four of the 14 adverse reactions "may be" related to the vaccines, and the center was still investigating.