Flu Spreading Faster, Wider
By Bae Ji-sook
Staff Reporter
The number of people infected with the influenza A (H1N1) virus is nearing 1,000 in Korea, forcing the government to draw up new measures against the rapidly spreading disease.
A total of 25 confirmed cases were reported on Sunday, bringing the total number of patients to 813. The spread is faster than ever, considering that the time gap between the first and the second diagnosed person in May took several days. The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) initially forecast that the heat would kill off the virus, which is the usual case for seasonal influenza, but the soaring number is worrying health authorities, according to insiders.
Moreover, experts are concerned whether the speed will increase as more people are going abroad for the summer holidays. The United States Center for Disease Control and Prevention's Anne Schuchat was quoted by Fox News as saying that the number of diagnosed would increase in the fall, when schools start their new terms.
A growing number of people are reportedly being infected from unknown transmission vectors.
Following the first case of a nursery teacher who had never been abroad or had contact with anyone who had been traveling, 27 high school classmates and one of their teachers in Anyang, Gyeonggi province, were reported with the disease Friday, raising concerns that anyone could catch it. The school was shut down for nine days.
However, the authorities have a limited response package. The World Health Organization has decided to stop tracking cases and the Korean Ministry for Health, Welfare and Family Affairs may follow that route since counting the number infected cannot help prevent the spread, observers note.
Jeon Byeong-ryul, a KCDC official, was quoted as saying by Yonhap News Agency, ``Now that we know the virus is everywhere ― even in the furthest regions of Korea, we don't think tracking individual cases will be useful anymore.''
Instead, the health ministry is expected to focus on monitoring possible variants of the disease. The WHO has already warned that a mutation through human-to-human transmission can be much more deadlier than the one initially detected. It was reported in June that a Brazilian research institute has detected a variant.
Health Minister Jeon Jae-hee visited the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius and has agreed to share information on any variant of the virus and vaccines against it.
The government advised people to stay away from crowded places.
``If you have been to large events and have a runny nose, high fever or sore throat, please report to the nearest public healthcare center,'' Shin Sang-sook, a ministry official, said.