Children aged from six to 35 months in China will get A/H1N1 flu vaccine jabs free of charge, according to a notice released by the Ministry of Health (MOH) on Thursday.

The notice said children aged below three are one of the groups most susceptible to the A/H1N1 influenza virus and proposes free inoculation be provided for them, which should be carried out on transparent and voluntary basis.

Approved by the MOH and the State Food and Drug Administration, three vaccine manufacturers, including Sinovac Biotech, had started clinical trials of A/H1N1 flu vaccine designed for children of the group in southern Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, eastern Jiangsu and central Hunan provinces.

The volunteer who got the first shot of the vaccine showed no signs of severe adverse reactions, MOH's circular in late December said.

The MOH has required the local disease prevention centers across the country to collect and analyze data from the inoculation and carry out safety monitoring and evaluation.

The MOH's weekly report on Wednesday said A/H1N1 flu cases in the Chinese mainland decreased over the past week.

According to the report, 2,935 cases were confirmed in the Chinese mainland from December 28, 2009, to January 3, 2010. The figure was down from 4,448 the previous week. The number of people who died from A/H1N1 flue was down from 93 to 67.

As of Tuesday, a total of 51.38 million people had been vaccinated in the mainland.

(Xinhua News Agency January 8, 2010)