Ma was vaccinated during a visit to the Kuangfu Elementary School in Chungho, Taipei County, the first school in Taiwan to close down all classes amid an outbreak of the virus.

After a nurse pricked a needle in his left shoulder, Ma said he had not felt anything. He was accompanied to the school by Taipei County Magistrate Chou Hsi-wei, an entertainer, and a pregnant model, who all recommended vaccination.

If the outbreak came under control, Taiwan should consider donating vaccines to the World Health Organization and to countries where the vaccine was hard to come by, Ma said.

The vaccine was provided by Adimmune Corporation, Taiwan's only producer of human vaccines. Taiwan was one of only 15 nations in the world able to produce the vaccine, Ma said, emphasizing the quality and safety of its product.

Vice Premier Eric Liluan Chu and Department of Health Minister Yaung Chih-liang were also vaccinated during the morning at the Central Epidemics Command Center.

Chu said he wanted to recruit famous models, sports stars and entertainers to show that being vaccinated against the swine flu was not dangerous.

Officials also countered criticism that Ma should not have been vaccinated since he did not belong to any risk group. Ma brought his own vaccine, and was not allocated a dose from the Taipei County quota, the DOH said. The president's vaccine was part of 1,000 doses donated to the government by Adimmune for promotional purposes, according to the DOH.