(ANSA) - Rome, September 11 - Italy hopes to vaccinate 40% of its population against the H1N1 flu virus, the health ministry announced Friday.

According to the head of the Italian general practitioners association, Doctor Giacomo Milillo, ''family doctors and local clinics will administer the vaccine free of charge to anyone in the main risk groups''.

The first stage of the campaign starting October 15 will target pregnant women, children between 6 months and 17 years of age and anyone suffering from a health condition that could compromise their ability to fight the virus.

Healthcare workers, police, civil protection personnel and public employees performing ''essential services'' will also be among those vaccinated in October.

Milillo added that the ''vaccine will not be on sale at pharmacies'' and that Italians outside of the high risk groups would have to wait to be vaccinated.

But researchers in Australia announced Friday that a single, small dose of the vaccine had proven just as effective as two larger doses, possibly allowing for more people to be vaccinated in a shorter period of time.

Italy has had some 7,000 H1N1 cases so far while in Europe 49,000 cases and 125 deaths have been reported.

So far the flu has only claimed one fatality in Italy, a 51-year-old with serious pre-existing conditions, who died last week in Naples.

Worldwide the number of cases is believed to be in excess of 277,000 while deaths number over 3,200.

The rise in cases has slowed in Europe lately but the figures are expected to take off again when a new, more virulent strain of the virus arrives in the autumn.

Source : ANSA