Flu alert raised to highest level

The government yesterday raised the H1N1 flu alert to its highest level, pledging all-out efforts against the further spread of the disease.

As part of the declaration, the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters will be installed within the Ministry of Public Administration and Security.

The period for school vaccinations, scheduled to start on Nov. 11, also will be reduced from the previously planned six weeks to four weeks by mobilizing military doctors.

"The rampant spread of the disease is expected to reach its peak within four weeks and its future damage largely depend on the preparedness of each local government. The alert raise is largely an administrative move to control it more effectively," said Park Ha-jeong, head of public health policy at the Ministry for Health, Welfare and Family Affairs.



"For now, the government is not considering suspending social activities such as shutting down schools nationwide. Through discussions with health officials and experts, we have concluded such a measure is less effective when the disease is rapidly spreading across the nation," Park said, adding that no dramatic change in the public`s daily life should follow.

It is the first time that the government has established the national disaster response center against a disease since the Avian Flu struck the nation in 2006.

A total 472 hospitals specially designated for the new flu treatment will focus more on hospitalized patients and those with severe illness. For a possible surge in severely-ill patients, nearly 9,000 sickbeds and 441 intensive care units have been secured across the nation.

Health officials also recommended that patients with mild symptoms visit local private clinics. Starting on Oct. 30, flu patients with a doctor`s prescription can purchase the antiviral drug Tamiflu at any drug store around the country.

After having receiving a report on the alert raise from Health Minister Jeon Jae-hee during a Cabinet meeting, President Lee Myung-bak also empathized that all ministries and local governments should work together in tackling the new flu issue.

"All government offices as well as the Health Ministry should be involved in the response efforts against the new flu. They should closely monitor the whole process of the flu response so that the public`s fears could be relieved," he was quoted as saying by presidential spokesperson Kim Eun-hye.

With two additional deaths confirmed yesterday, a total of 42 people have died from the flu infection. The latest cases involved a 71-year-old cancer patient and a man in his 40s with no underlying illness.

"As the number of flu victims increases, so does the death cases of previously healthy people," said Kwon Jun-wook, senior official at the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"Amid the cold weather, people need to check their health condition regardless of whether they are included in high risk groups or not," he said.

(jylee@heraldm.com)







By Lee Ji-yoon