Three schools in China were closed in an effort to prevent further spread of A/H1N1 influenza, local authorities said Sunday.

The three include the Shiji Jinyuan School and Yunxiu Middle School in Kunming, capital city of southwestern Yunnan Province, and the No. 1 Middle School in Linxi County, northern Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

The two schools in Kunming had reported 24 A/H1N1 cases among a total of 9,100 students by Saturday.

Chen Juemin, director of the Yunnan provincial health bureau, urged stepped-up disease monitoring and control efforts and avoiding mass gatherings of students.

A total of 60 students in the school in Inner Mongolia showed flu symptoms. Of them, 11 have been confirmed as A/H1N1 flu patients.

The school has more than 3,700 students.

The A/H1N1 flu epidemic situation is becoming grimmer as schools report frequent outbreaks in the autumn-winter semester starting early in the month.

Liang Wannian, deputy director of the health emergency office under the Ministry of Health, said Friday that among large-scale group infections, about 86.5 percent have occurred in schools or activities related to schools.

All 31 provincial areas in the Chinese mainland have reported A/H1N1 cases. The total had reached 6,968 by Thursday.

The State Council, or Cabinet, issued an edict to step up the campaign against the flu on Thursday. It promised to take effective measures such as free vaccination and allowing flexible work hours.

(Xinhua News Agency September 14, 2009)