The Dutch health ministry says the inoculation drive against Influenza A (H1N1) will begin in the second week of November. Health Minister Ab Klink says he expects the drive will require ten million doses.

The Health Council says more people will only have to be inoculated if the flu worsens. Everyone who can get a regular flu shot also qualifies for the Influenza A inoculation. Women with pregnancies over three months, medical staff and Dutch soldiers on foreign missions also qualify. The defence ministry has requested 6,000 doses. In all, the health authorities have stocked 34 million doses. The health minister is studying whether part of the stock can be sold to countries who don't have enough doses. Countries such Macedonia, Romania, Bulgaria and Egypt have expressed an interest. But first he wants to find out whether new target groups are likely to emerge or whether the flu virus is likely to become more aggressive.