China's vaccination campaign against the A(H1N1) influenza virus, known in the Netherlands as Mexican flu, is having less success than officials had hoped.

So far, around 32 million Chinese have been vaccinated against the virus. However, say the authorities, enthusiasm for the vaccination has begun to wane in the last two weeks. Just as in other countries, many people in China now believe that the injection may actually be bad for their health.

The Chinese Ministry of Health continues to insist that it is vital the population be properly protected in the run up to the Chinese New Year. This occurs in February, and is the occasion for millions of Chinese to make journeys to visit their families. The authorities fear that such wide-scale holiday travel will lead to a massive spread of the virus throughout the entire country.

Until now, China has been only lightly affected by the virus. Official figures state that 100,000 people have been infected, of whom 325 have died. One third of those fatalities occurred last week when the temperature dropped sharply in many parts of the country.

Photo of people queuing for flu vaccination in Peking by myuibe (flickr)