Lunar New Year arrives with H1N1 warning in China
Robert JonesGovernment officials in China are warning about the H1n1 during the upcoming Chinese Lunar New Year holiday.
China’s Health Ministry has called for the inoculation to the H1N1 virus by vulnerable groups, such as pregnant women and the elderly, or to limit travel activity during the Chinese Lunar New Year holiday next month.
Chinese authorities have asked for pregnant women, the elderly, children, obese individuals and people suffering from chronic diseases should to avoid public transportation during the Spring Festival’s peak period.
The Chinese Health the Ministry made the statement via its website on Wednesday.
The ministry also recommended that people belonging to any of these groups should get swine flu vaccinations and avoid crowded public places and individuals demonstrating obvious signs of the flu.
Other general recommendations made by the Health Ministry include frequently washing hands, wearing face masks and getting early doctor consultation for flu symptoms such as coughs.
Every year during the beginning of the Lunar New Year, tens of millions of people pack into public transportation such as trains, planes and buses as several Chinese return to their villages and towns for annual reunions with friends and relatives.
This year, the Lunar New Year’s Day, or the beginning of the Spring Festival, arrives on February 14. The heavy travel period in China extends from January 30 to March 10.
The Health Ministry revealed last week that China had officially seen 659 deaths due to the swine flu in 2009. Most of them were recorded during the last two months of the year. The Ministry claimed that some area in the country still presented the danger of mass outbreaks.
It said that 120,940 total cases of the disease had been recorded in 2009.
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Filed under Health & Environment, Travel News, World News