Falling temperatures lead to nationwide flu alert

Health officials are urging people to fight the A(H1N1) flu epidemic by getting a vaccine shot, especially in light of the sudden drop in temperatures across most of China.

The National Meteorological Center issued an orange alert for a cold wave Saturday that was followed by a major snowfall Monday that blanketed Beijing and several other cities.

The Beijing Center for Disease Control and Prevention said that the influenza virus could become more active due to weather changes this week and it could accelerate the spread of A(H1N1), China News Service reported Monday.

However, a health expert told the Global Times that it's too early to tell the weather's impact on the epidemic.

"The sharp drop would ease the transmission of the seasonal influenza, based on our previous study," said Cui Xiaobo, a professor at the Capital Medical University.

"But whether it will do the same for A(H1N1) is yet to be known. We will get a conclusion after study," he said.

The number of confirmed A(H1N1) cases has increased. The Ministry of Health reported Saturday that as of 3 pm Friday, the newly confirmed cases reached 2,972 within the previous 48 hours, bringing the total number of cases on the Chinese mainland to 44,891.

Of those, 33,184 were cured and 82 people were in serious condition. There have been six deaths.

Four deaths were reported in Tibet, Qinghai, Xinjiang and Beijing, while the Heilongjiang Health Bureau reported a fatality Saturday. The bureau said a woman, 35 years old, from Daqing, died October 28 in the provincial capital, Harbin. The authority offered no details Monday about her case.
Details about the sixth death were not available yet.

As the number of reported influenza patients increased, the country's leaders expressed concern.

For example, Premier Wen Jiabao visited Beijing Children's Hospital Saturday.

Source:Global Times

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