Health minister, Trinidad Jiménez, reported today that vaccination programme against the AH1N1 flu virus could begin as early as the first fortnight in November.

After a visit to the Hospital Son Llàtzer in Palma de Mallorca, Jiménez told the press that the exact date was still to be decided, but that discussions were being held with the relevant people in all the autonomous communities and vaccination against the AH1N1 flu virus would not begin until the vaccination programme against seasonal flu came to an end.

She went on to confirm that she felt "very calm" about the excellent way the health system had prepared for this pandemic, adding that the AH1N1 flu virus was now more common than the normal seasonal flu virus.

According to the minister, approximately 90% of all new flu cases are caused by the AH1N1 flu virus, but that the situation was "stable" with an average of between 20,000 and 30,000 people being affected on a weekly basis, with very few presenting serious symptoms.

The death rate from the AH1N1 flu virus is also "very low", with just 0.02% of those infected dying as a result of the virus, considerably lower than with seasonal flu.