South Korea : "probably" confirmed swine flu case

[Shiloh]

Source: http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/SEO256192.htm


South Korea testing suspected swine flu case
28 Apr 2009 01:57:02 GMT
Source: Reuters


SEOUL, April 28 (Reuters) - South Korean health authorities are conducting clinical tests on a 51-year-old woman who is displaying symptoms of swine flu upon her return from Mexico, officials said on Tuesday.

Three people in South Korea had been identified as suspected cases of the infection, but two have tested negative, the head of infectious disease response at the South Korean Center for Disease Control, Jun Byung-yool, told a televised briefing.

"Precision testing is being conducted on one of the people," Jun said, adding the woman remains at home avoiding contact with the outside but has not been quarantined at a public health facility.

The woman was in southern Mexico until April 25 and returned to South Korea with a stop-over in Los Angeles, Jun said.

Her condition does not appear to be life-threatening and South Korea could have more results from testing on her as early as Wednesday, he added.

The World Health Organisation has warned that the new flu virus, a mixture of swine, human and avian flu viruses that has killed up to 149 people in Mexico, could start a pandemic, raising its alert to indicate a significantly increased risk. (Reporting by Cheon Jong-woo, Angela Moon and Jack Kim; Editing by Jon Herskovitz and Sanjeev Miglani)

[Gert van der Hoek]

Re: South Korea testing suspected swine flu case

SKorean woman 'probably' has swine flu: health agency

Tue, Apr 28, 2009


SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA - South Korea Tuesday reported its first probable case of swine flu after positive preliminary tests on a woman who had recently returned from a trip to Mexico.

'A probable case of swine influenza was confirmed Tuesday,' the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said in a statement.

It said the 51-year-old, who returned to Korea Sunday, has been isolated in hospital for treatment and surveillance.

All 315 others on the same flight were being traced and tested, while 40 people who work with the woman have been given injections of anti-viral treatments.

'Test results are substantial enough to classify the patient as a probable swine flu case,' said Kang Chun, the KCDC's influenza virus team leader.

A spokesman for the centre told AFP the case would not be officially confirmed until tests at the US Centers for Disease Control, which would take about one week.

Another KCDC official said the woman, who lives in Gyeonggi province surrounding Seoul, was coughing and felt chills before taking her flight and reported to health authorities on her return.

She was among three travellers to return recently from trips to Mexico. The other two were found not to carry the swine influenza virus after being quarantined at their homes.

The likely human swine flu death toll in Mexico, the epicentre of the outbreak, now stands at 152. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has raised its flu pandemic alert level.

The United States has confirmed 44 cases of swine flu but no deaths.

Officials in Seoul said 7,000-10,000 people had returned from the United States since April 17, including some whose journeys originated in Mexico.

The KCDC said it would intensify inspections of inbound travellers.

'Rapid antigen tests will be carried out on inbound travellers who are suffering from fever or symptoms of respiratory illness,' it said in a statement.

'If confirmed through laboratory tests, patients will immediately be isolated. Travellers to Mexico and the US will be educated on the prevention of swine influenza.'

The government has strengthened quarantine measures in pig-farming regions. On Monday it designated swine flu as an infectious livestock disease, allowing culling to be carried out if necessary.

Officials said the country would double its stockpile of Tamiflu and other anti-influenza drugs to a quantity sufficient to treat five million people.

http://health.asiaone.com/Health/News/Story/A1Story20090428-138037.html

[pablomorgan]

South Korea 1 confirmed 16 suspect

http://health.asiaone.com/Health/News/Story/A1Story20090430-138309.html

[Sally Furniss]

Re: South Korea : "probably" confirmed swine flu case

Warden message


The U.S. Embassy in Seoul is transmitting the following information through the Embassy's warden system as a public service to all U.S. citizens in the Republic of Korea. Please disseminate this message to U.S. citizens in your organizations or to other Americans you know.

This Warden Message alerts U.S. citizens to the latest
information regarding human cases of H1N1 Influenza A,
formerly known as swine flu.

The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) have stated that laboratory testing on a Korean citizen who recently returned from Mexico is ?presumptive? for H1N1 flu virus infection. The KCDC will provide samples to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control for further analysis to confirm the origins of the virus. Several more persons who recently traveled to Mexico or the United States are currently being tested for possible infection.

The Ministry of Health, Welfare, and Family Affairs (MHWFA) is intensifying screening at Incheon Airport and all other international ports of entry. Infrared thermal scanners have been set up to monitor the body temperatures of all arriving international passengers.

The Republic of Korea has designated Mexico a ?travel restricted area,? advising citizens to cancel or delay trips there. There are no restrictions on entry to Korea from any particular destination.

The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) have an English-language website at http://www.cdc.go.kr/kcdchome/. The specific pages on H1N1 influenza are currently available only in Korean at: http://www.cdc.go.kr/kcdchome/jsp/di...ype=0&idxNum=3

For further information about H1N1 flu in English, including steps you can take to stay healthy, please consult the
Department of State information at

http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/pa/pa_pandemic.h

tml, the United States Centers for Disease Control
website at http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu, and the World
Health Organization website at
http://www.who.int/csr/disease/swineflu/en/index.html.