By Kim Heung-sook
Freelance Columnist

A 67-year-old man in Seoul became the third fatal victim of influenza A in Korea on Thursday amid reports that as many as 40,000 Koreans may die of the disease if proper measures are not taken. The reports were quickly denied by a spokesman for the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Family Affairs, who claimed that the estimate was based on ``outdated" assumptions.

I would be happy to believe the spokesman, but as I watched and read a series of news reports related to the influenza, it became gradually clear that the government was far from being prepared to combat the ever-spreading disease and that the ``outdated" estimate could turn out to be true.

The government has instructed all primary and secondary schools across the country to check the body temperatures of students beginning Thursday and refer those with temperatures higher than 37.8 degrees Celsius to medical authorities.

At Seoul's Shinyongsan Elementary School, 14 teachers stood guard at the seven entrances of the school building and measured the temperatures of a total of 2,042 students, a process that took about 40 minutes; none of the students were found to have fever. In a high school in Suwon, Gyeonggi-do, hundreds of students had to wait in line in the rain to have their temperature checked.

But most schools couldn't carry out the required check-up as they didn't have enough of the eardrum thermometers they were supposed to use. The thermometers sell for between 70,000 won and 100.000 won and purchasing scores of them would result in quite a financial burden, teachers say. While teachers were criticizing the ministry for handing out impractical directives, Education, Science and Technology Minister Ahn Byung-man said closing schools in fear of the disease wouldn't be desirable.

According to the estimate denied by the government, patients of the flu could reach 100,000-150,000, and 10,000-20,000 of them might die if proper preventive measures were taken. If such measures are not taken, some 20 percent of the nation's population will be infected and there will be between 20,000 and 40,000 deaths. The data was released by Rep. Choi Young-hee of the opposition Democratic Party. He said it had been jointly created by the Ministry of Health, Welfare, and Family Affairs and other government offices.

Flu infections are feared to peak in the cool seasons of October and November and the government has announced that it would additionally secure antiviral drugs, such as Tamiflu, for 5 million people, bringing the nation's total stock to be enough for 13 million people. The first Korean death from influenza A was reported on Aug. 15 and so far 3,700-odd people have been diagnosed as patients of the pandemic caused by H1N1 virus.

I hope no one dies of the disease for lack of access to medical treatment in Korea or elsewhere. However, poverty can be a killer in a capitalist world and the United Nations has warned that a major humanitarian crisis would occur if the influenza hits developing countries already stricken by poverty and conflict. While countries in the West are stockpiling antiviral medicines, few nations of the developing world can do so.

In Korea, where some doctors are reportedly obtaining Tamiflu for their family's use, the underprivileged are likely to fall to the disease most frequently. When you are suffering from a high fever, runny or stuffy nose, cough, sore throat and other symptoms of the H1N1 flu, you have to go to a general hospital for confirmation. There you will get some tests and will have to pay over 100,000 won. If you are 'lucky' and are confirmed to be a H1N1 case, you may have your payment reimbursed. If not, then you have spent that amount just to dispel fear. I wonder if I am the only one who thinks this nation works in a very strange way.

As a person living on a limited income, I would be quite reluctant to go to the general hospital unless my condition is really serious. Instead, I would try to avoid people coughing or sneezing because the influenza is believed to spread through such activities. When I cough or sneeze, I would cover my mouth and nose with a tissue and throw it in the trash. I would wash my hands with soap and water as frequently as possible, and would try not to touch my eyes, nose or mouth. I wouldn't go out if I didn't feel alright. I hope my readers will take precautions and survive!