By Bae Ji-sook
Staff Reporter
The Ministry for Health, Welfare and Family Affairs lowered the nation's alert level for influenza A (H1N1) to ``Orange'' from ``Red,'' Thursday, following reports that transmission of the virus has slowed.
The adjustment came a month after the government raised the level to its highest on Nov. 3.
A central center for emergency measures against the disease will be disbanded, and military personnel will be allowed overnight passes, the ministry said.
Additionally, teachers will no longer have to conduct daily temperature checks on students during the two weeks after they have been vaccinated.
According to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the number of newly diagnosed patients fell to 22.36 per 1,000 between Nov. 30 and Dec. 6, down from 44.96 in early November. The government has also stocked up a total of 6.1 million doses of the antiviral drug Tamiflu and Relenza, sufficient to fight the disease during winter. Next year, the government is planning to buy an additional 5 million doses.
As of Thursday, 5.7 million elementary, middle and high school students as well as 380,000 medical staff and 74,000 emergency staff had been inoculated. About 10.6 percent of infants have also been vaccinated.
However, the authorities asked people to maintain personal precautions. ``Wash your hands often and wear masks when going outdoors. Visit the nearest hospital if you have a high fever. You will be given Tamiflu even without confirmation,'' a ministry official, Park Ha-jeong, said.