FrenchieGirl
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Spain prepares for A/H1N1 flu epidemic
MADRID, July 3 (Xinhua) -- The Spanish government is readying itself for an epidemic of the A/H1N1 flu virus by preparing enough vaccine to protect 40 percent of the population.
Minister of Health and Social Security Trinidad Jimenez announced on Friday that the country has ordered 18 million doses of the future vaccine against the virus.
A total of 760 cases of the A/H1N1 virus have been detected in Spain, with one fatality, when a young woman of Moroccan origin died in Madrid earlier in the week.
The Heath Ministry said Thursday that the majority of the cases in the country are among young adults and teenagers. However, Jimenez said she was preparing for the future when older members of the community could be more at risk.
"At the moment the conditions in the climate mean that the virus has still not shown itself with all of its intensity. We will have to wait until the autumn in order to see just how prevalent it is in our country," she said.
The latest cases of the A/H1N1 virus have occurred in the town of Puerto Real in the southwest of Spain. Fourteen nurses in a hospital have been affected by the flu and have begun treatment with anti-virus drugs.
MADRID, July 3 (Xinhua) -- The Spanish government is readying itself for an epidemic of the A/H1N1 flu virus by preparing enough vaccine to protect 40 percent of the population.
Minister of Health and Social Security Trinidad Jimenez announced on Friday that the country has ordered 18 million doses of the future vaccine against the virus.
A total of 760 cases of the A/H1N1 virus have been detected in Spain, with one fatality, when a young woman of Moroccan origin died in Madrid earlier in the week.
The Heath Ministry said Thursday that the majority of the cases in the country are among young adults and teenagers. However, Jimenez said she was preparing for the future when older members of the community could be more at risk.
"At the moment the conditions in the climate mean that the virus has still not shown itself with all of its intensity. We will have to wait until the autumn in order to see just how prevalent it is in our country," she said.
The latest cases of the A/H1N1 virus have occurred in the town of Puerto Real in the southwest of Spain. Fourteen nurses in a hospital have been affected by the flu and have begun treatment with anti-virus drugs.