President Ma Ying-jeou officiated Thursday at the inauguration of a new vaccine facility in central Taiwan run by Adimmune Corp. that is capable of producing vaccines against the influenza A(H1N1) strain. Addressing the inauguration, Ma said Taiwan is one of just 11 countries in the world capable of producing vaccine for swine flu and he added that it is important that Taiwan, as a member of the international community, can and will share the vaccine with other countries that need it in the face of the swine flu pandemic. Immediately after its inauguration, Adimmune's new plant in Tantzu, Taichung County will ramp up its production to meet an order placed by the Cabinet-level Department of Health (DOH) for 5 million doses of influenza A(H1N1) vaccine, Ma said. He said that flu, although a common ailment, should never be taken lightly, pointing out that in 1918, 20 million people were killed in a Spanish flu pandemic, a figure equal to the World War 1 casualties of 10 nations. He also gave the thumbs-up to Adimmune Corp. Chairman Chan Chi-hsien, who was elected chairman of the company only last year but streamlined its finances in a mere two months. Soon after that, he said, Chan, a former DOH minister, then instigated planning for the new plant and solicited investment from the government to facilitate construction, making it possible for Taiwan to pitch in with the global production of A(H1N1) vaccine in a timely manner. Ma noted that although the flu infections have been declared by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a level-six pandemic -- the highest level on the WHO scale -- the situation is much milder than previously anticipated thanks to concerted efforts by countries around the world and heightened vigilance against the disease. He said that Taiwan, one of only 11 countries capable of producing A(H1N1) vaccine, is now among the countries that are most advanced in terms of biotechnological research and applications. Adimmune Corp., the largest vaccine-producing company in Asia, has a maximum annual capacity of 30 million doses of vaccine produced at its Miaoli plant and Tantzu plant. Taiwan's only human vaccine manufacturer, Adimmune Corp. has recently received seed viruses for production provided by Australia, Britain and the United States. 