By Kim Rahn
Staff Reporter
Korea has raised the alert level for H1N1 influenza A to ``orange'' from ``yellow'' as the number of patients approaches 1,000 ― with the virus spreading wider and faster across the country.
The new measure mandates each local authority to form a special team to tackle the infection.
The government said Tuesday it was upgrading the level to orange, indicating alarm, from yellow, meaning alert, at a Cabinet meeting. The level is comprised of four steps ― blue (attention), yellow (alert), orange (alarm) and red (serious).
``We are seeing an increasing number of patients'' an official from the Ministry for Health, Welfare and Family Affairs said. ``The possibility of mass infection is now growing due to students coming home from overseas study, summer vacation and international events. We concluded that the flu could become a pandemic here in the latter half of this year, with the weather getting colder, so we are hiking the level.''
The current preventive system, which monitors those entering from other nations, will be changed to focus on treatment rather than prevention, it said.
Patients will be isolated at major hospitals nationwide. If the numbers increase, the authorities will isolate only serious patients. Others with minor symptoms will be asked to stay at home and visit hospital for treatment.
The central government will also secure as much vaccine as possible and inoculate infants, children, the elderly, soldiers and quarantine officers from November.
It recommended schools avoid after-hours programs during vacation time and halt them immediately when a patient is confirmed. Private tutoring institutes were also advised to suspend classes when a student is confirmed to have contracted the virus.
The health agency confirmed an additional 28 cases of the virus, Tuesday, bringing the total here to 922. The new patients, including 11 elementary school students in the southern port city of Busan, tested positive for the virus after showing flu-like symptoms.
rahnita@koreatimes.co.kr
