President Ma Ying-jeou on Tuesday touted the efficacy of the H1N1 vaccine against the virus and urged people around Taiwan to get immunized.

Ma noted that many people were affected by the new flu strain when it first struck Taiwan last May, with some 1,800 school classes having to close at one point to prevent the spread of the virus.

Thanks to the locally produced H1N1 vaccine that came on the market last October, and an imported vaccine, the flu outbreak has been effectively brought under control, he said. This is evident in the fact that the number of classes that have had to close because of H1N1 outbreaks has dropped to one, Ma said.

Taiwan began a national immunization program last November 1. So far, 5.6 million people have been vaccinated, accounting for 24 percent of the total population.

The inoculation rate is the fourth highest in the world, behind that of Sweden, Canada and Holland, Ma said, emphasizing that the vaccine is free of charge in Taiwan.

Meanwhile, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) announced Tuesday that from Feb. 1 to Feb. 13, vaccination stations will be set up at four airports in the country — Taipei, Taoyuan, Taichung and Kaohsiung. Travelers who hold Republic of China passports, Taiwan residence permits or working permits will be entitled to receive the vaccine, free of charge, at those points, he said.

They will have the choice of either the locally produced or Swiss-made H1N1 vaccine, said CDC Deputy Director Shih Wen-yi.

In light of the possibility that H1N1 infections could surge during the upcoming winter break and Chinese Lunar New Year holiday in February, people who wish to get the vaccine should call the 1922 hotline to book an appointment, he said.

The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) reported Tuesday the third case of a pregnant woman who had died from H1N1 since the outbreak of the virus in Taiwan. She was the 10th pregnant woman to be hospitalized with the flu and her death brought the number of H1N1 fatalities in the country to 38. According to the CECC, the 33-year-old woman was 21 weeks into her term and had not been immunized against the H1N1 virus.

She developed flu symptoms on December 31, and lost her baby earlier this month before succumbing to the infection January 16.

Citing CECC statistics, Shih stated that five of the 10 pregnant hospitalized women were discharged from hospital with both the mother and baby in sound condition. Two of the women and their babies died, one woman died while her baby survived, and in two cases, the women survived while their babies died, he said.

Shih reiterated that pregnant women are one of the high-risk groups for the H1N1 infection.

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