A female Vietnamese traveler has been quarantined at a South Korean airport after showing symptoms similar to those of Influenza A, Yonhap News Agency reported Monday, quoting local health authorities.
The traveler, whose identity has not been revealed, is being held at Incheon International Airport, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said, adding it is tracking down 101 passengers who entered the country aboard the same plane ― 73 South Koreans and 28 foreigners.
The center said 27 passengers and attendants who had been seated within the radius of two meters from the Vietnamese traveler will be isolated for the nine-day quarantine period.
She arrived at Incheon International Airport at 6:30 p.m. Sunday aboard an Asiana Airlines plane after leaving Seattle and was headed home.
Since the outbreak of the H1N1 flu was reported in Mexico last month, the Seoul government has been stepping up efforts to stem its spread by intensifying monitoring of inbound travelers.
South Korea has reported three confirmed patients infected with the new virus, all of who were released from quarantine after being treated with antiviral drugs.
KCDC said that it will double its stockpile of antiviral drugs to have enough to treat 5 million patients. Currently, the nation holds enough flu drugs, including Tamiflu, for 2.5 million patients, 5 percent of the total population.
According to the World Health Organization, Influenza A, widely known as swine flu, has claimed 66 lives in Mexico and four in the United States. Around 8,500 cases of H1NI virus infection have been reported in 39 countries.
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