The A/H1N1 flu, which has killed more than 700 people on the Chinese mainland, will continue to spread in the country this year, the Ministry of Health said Monday.

In a statement posted on its Website, the ministry said people on the Chinese mainland still had limited access to immunization protection against the virus, and that regional outbreaks of the disease were possible.

As of Sunday, more than 63 million Chinese people had been inoculated with the swine flu vaccine.

Risks of mass infection by the influenza might increase with the upcoming Spring Festival, or traditional Chinese New Year, in February, when a huge number of people, mostly migrant workers and students, will travel home for family reunions, the health ministry said.

(Xinhua News Agency January 19, 2010)