Efforts to Contain Influenza
It's Time to Tighten Surveillance, Quarantine System
South Korea has so far fared well to stem the spread of Influenza A (H1N1) which has been fanning out across the world from Mexico since last month. But we cannot lower our guard against the highly contagious disease because there still exist fears about mass outbreaks. Therefore, health authorities, travelers and other citizens must keep in mind that carelessness is their greatest enemy as far as the flu is concerned.
The number of people infected with the virus has increased to 29 in the country. What's worrisome is that 20 of the patients are English teachers who worked together at a language institute in southern Seoul. Some of them came from the United States, Canada and South Africa. It was discovered that they passed through the inspections at the country's international airports without showing any symptoms.
Local health authorities once said that the native English teachers had caught a cold, not the raging influenza, after conducting a test on them at the request of the language institute. But, the teachers were later quarantined for treatment after testing positive for the influenza virus. The authorities are under criticism for their belated action for early detection and quarantine.
It was presumed that some English teachers from other countries spread the virus to their colleagues because they shared the same living quarters. If inspectors had detected the infection earlier, they could have prevented more outbreaks of the flu among them. There are growing worries that language institutes hiring foreign teachers might serve as a vehicle for the spread of the disease.
This is not to say that the nation's quarantine and public health care system has collapsed. But, judging from the English teachers' cases, we have to admit that South Korea doesn't have a complete and watertight system to keep such a highly contagious virus from penetrating into the country. It is somewhat fortunate that H1N1 is not so powerful or deadly that it can be cured with relative ease compared with avian influenza and the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).
The health authorities should be on higher alert as a large number of Korean students studying overseas are expected to return home during the summer vacation. Therefore, the government needs to place more inspectors and mobilize more equipment at major airports to spot carriers of Influenza A. They are also required to set up a wider diagnosis, treatment and quarantine network in cooperation with public health centers, clinics and hospitals across the country.
Around 13,000 cases of the influenza have so far been officially reported in 46 countries with 92 deaths, according to the World Health Organizations (WHO). Influenza A is testing South Korea's ability to guard against its further spread. It is important for the people to maintain their personal hygiene and take preventive steps against the virus. It goes without saying that prevention is better than cure.