China swine flu cases could reach 10,000

China’s swine flu cases could reach 10,000 with the peaking of the disease season, health authorities warned.

More than 100 people, mostly students, across China were reported infected with the H1N1 flu virus since Friday, forcing the closure of more than 20 schools only a week after the start of the school term, China Daily reported.

Of the 4,415 cases of H1N1 reported so far, the Health Ministry said 3,577 people had recovered with no known deaths.

However, Zeng Guang with the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention said the recent clusters of school outbreaks are just the start of the peak season, which will feature widespread infections.

The virus will definitely sicken more people, with new infections rising more quickly than before, though no mutations have so far been detected. The total cases nationwide will soon double to 10,000, he told China Daily.

He also warned the virus would now begin to spread to small cities, remote and rural areas, and among groups like the army and factory workers during the fall and winter months.

The government has stepped up the production of vaccines to fight the disease.