Chinese vaccine makers surge as swine flu cases soar

Asian stocks rose Tuesday. In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng Index added 0.3%, ending the day at 22,268. In China, the Shanghai Composite Index rose 0.1% to 3,179 and in Japan, the Nikkei Index closed up 0.6% at 9,871.

Shares in Chinese drug companies soared as the number of reported swine flu cases swelled to nearly 60,000, and the death toll rose to 30. So far 8.7 million Chinese have been vaccinated, according to Agence France Presse, and China's Ministry of Health has ordered that vaccine makers step up production in order to vaccinate even more of the country's enormous population. Henan Taloph Pharmaceutical jumped to its 10% daily limit, Shenzhen Neptunus Bioengineering climbed 6.17% and Hualan Biological Engineering rose 2.0%.