Swine flu cases to rise

The Chinese mainland is expected to face more serious and even fatal H1N1 infections as the weather cools, a Health Ministry spokesman says.

"China's situation is still rather grim," spokesman Deng Haihua said on Saturday. His words came just days after the mainland reported its first death from the disease. An 18-year-old woman from Maizhokunggar county, in Tibet's Lhasa city, died on Oct 4.

As of Friday, a total of 22,830 cases of swine flu had been reported on the mainland, with more than 17,000 of them reported in September alone. China became the first country to issue a production license for vaccines against the flu last month.