China has reported its first death from Mexican flu in the province of Tibet. The authorities immediately sent some 200,000 doses of vaccine to the Tibetan capital Lhasa.

The Chinese Health Ministry says that so far there are 21,453 cases of influenza A (H1N1) in the country; 13 patients are in serious condition. China is one of the first countries to begin a mass vaccination campaign.

Xinhua news agency reports that starting 9 September Beijing began to inoculate some 1.8 million people, including those age 60 or over and primary and secondary school students. China hopes to vaccinate some 65 million people before the end of the year.

Influenza A (H1N1)
Photo by Wikimedia Commons