Immunizations are not required to visit China, but it is best to take several vaccinations before attending the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing from Aug. 8 to Aug. 24.

"Taking a few minutes to make sure you have the proper vaccinations will give a better chance of avoiding any dangerous medical problems when you're far from home," said Debra Amos, a travel nurse with The Methodist Hospital Wellness Services in Houston

China's Ministry of Health has vowed to step up measures to protect public health during the Beijing Olympic Games in August.

Health Minister Chen Zhu said they will strengthen monitoring, emergency response and medical treatment for rabies, bird flu and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), as well as group poisonings

Clinics of Columbia Park Medical Group (CPMG) in the cities of Andover, Columbia Heights and Fridley in Anoka County, Minnesota are giving free revaccinations to 4,500 patients who received ineffective vaccines from October 2006 to August 2007.

The CPMG on Tuesday sent letters to the affected patients telling them to get new shots against rotavirus, hepatitis A and B, pneumonia, tetanus, typhoid and rabies at the said clinics on Dec. 15, 20 and 29

Clinics of Columbia Park Medical Group (CPMG) in the cities of Andover, Columbia Heights and Fridley, Minnesota are giving free revaccination to 4,500 patients who received ineffective vaccines from October 2006 to August 2007.

The CPMG on Tuesday sent letters to the affected patients telling them to get new shots against rotavirus, hepatitis A and B, pneumonia, tetanus, typhoid and rabies at the said clinics on Dec. 15, 20 and 29

China's Ministry of Health on Monday revealed that some 1,326 people across the region died of infectious diseases between the months of September and October this year, with 660 and 666 recorded deaths respectively.

The Ministry has identified three classes of infectious diseases such as Class A (plague and cholera), Class B (25 infectious diseases including viral hepatitis) and Class C (10 infectious diseases such as influenza)