China warns of possible new swine flu outbreaks

China is warning officials to race for a possible new wave of swine flu infections as the country enters the busy Lunar New Year travel period.

Tens of millions of Chinese take to the rails, roads and air during the most important holiday of the traditional calendar, creating crowded conditions ideal for the spread of the virus. The liday period this year runs from late January into February.

"During the 2010 New Year and Lunar New Year period, various factors such as spring travel, tourism, shopping, and other group activities will increase the risk of H1N1 infection," the Health Ministry said in a bulletin posted on its Web site Saturday. "Disease prevention measures must remain rigorous."

China has already taken severe measures seen to control the spread of the virus, quarantining large numbers of travelers and setting up temperature checks at virtually all schools an public buildings.

Experts differ on how effective those steps have been and the ministry said China, with 1.3 billion people, had recorded more than 120,000 cases of infection by the end of December, including 648 deaths.

It said 447, or 69 percent, of those deaths were recorded in December alone, a spike attributed partly to a rise in virus fatalities among pregnant mothers from 8.8 percent of November's total to 18.6 percent of all December deaths.

People with chronic illnesses and the obese also succumbed to the disease in larger numbers in December, the ministry said.