However, the campaign seems to be struggling during a crucial time of year when millions of people travel back to their hometowns for the Lunar New Year holiday, potentially spreading the flu.
"Experts expect that the next one to two months will be key in the fight to prevent H1N1," said Health Ministry spokesman Deng Haihua, "After new year comes the lunar festival, where people will be on the move in large numbers across the country, which will put yet more pressure on preventing the spread of the virus."
Liang Wannian, head of the ministry's health emergency office, said there were several reasons for the slower-than-expected progress in vaccinations, "I don't rule out that some people have worries over the safety of the vaccine."
Deng said that “abnormal reactions” to the vaccine were at about one in a million.
In October, former cheerleader Desiree Jennings made headlines when she was struck down by a systemic reaction triggered by the H1N1 vaccine. The effects triggered by the vaccine—when standing still or sitting, the young newlywed is overcome by crippling muscle spasms which stop her walking or talking properly—were labeled as dystonia, a rare neurological disorder, and considered permanent. However, in late November Jennings reported that, after intensive care with Dr. Rashid Buttar, a North Carolina doctor who practices preventative medicine, she’s no longer having seizures and can speak normally. Her diagnosis of dystonia has been dismissed and some critics are saying that her symptoms may even be psychosomatic.
News of cases like Jennings’ could likely be the reason behind people’s reluctance to get the vaccine. Still, the FDA found no problems with the particular lot of flu vaccines that Jennings was given and received no other reports of adverse effects from the lot. Health experts stress that extreme side effects are rare: "The flu shot is safe for the majority of the public, and as I said before, your heart goes out to someone that experiences this sort of thing-- thinking that they are doing something great for their wellness and their general health, but it does happen in extremely rare cases," says Rachel Lynch with Fairfax Inove Health System.
Health authorities have heavily publicized the risks posed by the virus and rolled out a Traditional Chinese Medicine Treatment plan, as an alternative to the vaccines produced by Sinovac Biotech Ltd., the first company in the world to successfully complete clinical trials for an H1N1 vaccine, and others.
Stocks of Sinovac (Nasdaq: SVA) were up 14 cents, or 2.21 percent, to $6.48.
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