Swine flu vaccinating begins in Brno

větší obrázekAutor: Reuters

Prague - On the same day the Czech Republic has started vaccinating chronically ill people, another person died of the A/H1N1 virus.

A 56-year old man with a heart condition died of the whole organism failure in Karlovy Vary.

Patients with lower immunity, people who have recently undergone a surgery or dialysis and asthma sufferers will be in the first line of the vaccination that has begun in south Moravia last week. 

"These people have to be vaccinated first, as they will have to get another shot in two weeks," health minister Dana Jurásková said at a press briefing.

With the arrival of the first 95,000 doses of swine flu vaccines earlier last week the vaccination has kicked off in Brno on Friday morning.

"We are starting to vaccinate people today in Brno hospitals," Jiří Korta of Pharmos, distribution company, told Aktuálně.cz. The storage warehouse for the vaccines has its seat in south Moravia.

The second line will include people working in the health sector, followed by staff working in sections regarded as vital for the functioning of the state.

The country's chief hygiene officer Michal Vít said that by next spring about one million of Czechs will have been vaccinated against the A/H1N1 virus.

"In total, 713,000 chronically ill people, 137,000 health workers and 158,000 people considered vital for the functioning of the state will be vaccinated," said Vít. He added that the next batch of swine flu vaccines should arrive in December.

In reaction to the sharp increase in swine flu cases across the country, some schools have been shut down and hospitals have restricted visits of their patients.