Chinese mainland reports 7th A/H1N1 death case

The Chinese mainland has reported its seventh death from the A/H1N1 flu in central Hunan Province. The patient, a 14-year-old middle school student in Changning City, died Saturday after nearly one month of medical treatment failed. Meanwhile, more than 3.78 million Chinese people have been inoculated with the A/H1N1 flu vaccine. The Ministry of Health says so far there have no reports of serious adverse reactions.

A vaccination campaign has been launched across the country except in Chongqing Municipality and the provinces of Anhui, Jiangxi and Sichuan.

China has approved eight domestic vaccine manufacturers. The eight producers are expected to make a total of 100 million doses by the first quarter of next year.

Currently, there are about 390 million people in China who are in need of inoculation most. Targeted groups include the People's Liberation Army and armed police force, medical staff, teachers, students, people working at key public service posts, and patients with chronic or cardiovascular diseases.

Children under the age of three and pregnant women are not included in the targeted groups due to a lack of clinical data. The Health Ministry says relevant departments are considering carrying out clinical tests to see if the vaccine could cause adverse effects within these groups.

Beijing has opened pediatric clinics in 20 traditional Chinese medicine hospitals. These clinics can provide a prescription for children infected with the A/H1N1 flu.

The city expects to inoculate 5 million people by the end of 2009.

The vaccine is one of the most effective ways to prevent the spread of the flu. It has a success rate of over 85 percent. And the rate of patients who report adverse effects has been less than the normal seasonal flu vaccine.