New Flu Surges

Quarantine Authorities Can Ill Afford to Remain Complacent

While most of the nation has been distracted by political and industrial turmoil, the spread of the new influenza strain is alarming, indeed.

The number of people infected with the influenza A (H1N1) virus, which remained at a few hundred as recently as June 30, soared by more than 600 this month to 865 as of Monday. More seriously, most of the latest infections have nothing to do with overseas travel or contact with the patients, meaning the new flu is spreading ``on its own,'' or has become a ``communal infection.''

That the government's quarantine officials have shifted their disease-control efforts from prevention, such as tracing its infection route and tallying its occurrences, to treatment is a paradoxical reminder of the possibility of its accelerating spread. The change in tactics is understandable, but the cease of preventive efforts appears too hasty.

Behind this relative complacency is the fact that no Koreans have died of the new flu. ``It's like we don't count the number of patients suffering from ordinary flu in winter,'' said an official at the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

This seemingly loosened alertness on the part of quarantine officials is dangerous for more than a few reasons. That Korea has produced no victim is mainly because most of the infections have occurred in young and healthy people, and the nation's medical system allows people easy access to numerous neighborhood doctors and drug stores, making early detection and treatment possible.

Disaster could happen if the currently weak virulence of the A flu turns abruptly strong through a series of mutations, as was the case of the Spanish flu that took several scores of millions of lives in the 1930s and `40s, a situation for which Korea can hardly be said to be well prepared.

Alarmed by the rapid pace of infection, the government is reportedly considering upgrading the level of disaster watch system from the present II (caution) to III (alert). It should do so right away, and awaken the people to the fact that the new disease could be a mass killer, and ``not just a new sort of cold,'' as many tend to think. It also ought to enlighten people about individual preventive practices, such as refraining from making unnecessary overseas tours particularly in this vacation season, and washing their hands frequently.

Needless to say, the most important thing for the government at this stage is to secure the maximum amount of Tamiflu and other vaccines, to earn time for the development of its own treatment. It should closely monitor the prevention efforts by other countries, including Germany, which plans to vaccinate one fourth of its population before winter comes when the flu could turn fatal.

Also, quarantine officials need to remind themselves prevention still remains better than cure.