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Source: http://www.koreaherald.co.kr/NEWKHSI...0908050041.asp
Riot police officers infected by flu
Health officials were alerted yesterday after a mass infection of the H1N1 virus was found in a riot police unit in Daegu.
Among 122 officers, who showed high fever and coughing, genetic tests were conducted on 32 severe cases and 18 were confirmed to be infected with the disease, according to city officials and a local public health center.
Health officials investigated all the 245 members of the unit Tuesday, along with another 150 from a different unit that shares the same residence building.
As tests on some cases were ongoing, health officials predicted that additional cases would be found.
After sending test samples of confirmed patients to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Center, city officials isolated the infected officers and distributed masks to other unit members.
Given that an officer at the unit was confirmed to have the virus Monday after he showed flu symptoms during his holiday last week, health officials suspected he might have passed the virus to others.
"Because they stay together at the same residence, there is a limit to how well we can isolate individual patients," said a city health official. "Along with the disease control agency, we are discussing to administer Tamiflu to all the unit members and officials."
On Monday, the Defense Ministry completed its countermeasures against the disease spread among soldiers. As part of the plan, the ministry installed disease control centers at each army and the Armed Forces Medical Command.
The ministry also distributed the antiviral drug Tamiflu and reagent kits for 25,000 soldiers, expanding its beneficiaries to field operation units.
As of Monday, a total of 80 confirmed patients were found among soldiers, according to the Defense Ministry. An infected soldier who showed pneumonia symptoms last week also has been recovering, the ministry said.
Three months after the nation's first infection case was confirmed, the total number of people infected with the disease here reached 1,520 yesterday with 28 additional cases found on the day alone.
(jylee@heraldm.com)
By Lee Ji-yoon
Riot police officers infected by flu
Health officials were alerted yesterday after a mass infection of the H1N1 virus was found in a riot police unit in Daegu.
Among 122 officers, who showed high fever and coughing, genetic tests were conducted on 32 severe cases and 18 were confirmed to be infected with the disease, according to city officials and a local public health center.
Health officials investigated all the 245 members of the unit Tuesday, along with another 150 from a different unit that shares the same residence building.
As tests on some cases were ongoing, health officials predicted that additional cases would be found.
After sending test samples of confirmed patients to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Center, city officials isolated the infected officers and distributed masks to other unit members.
Given that an officer at the unit was confirmed to have the virus Monday after he showed flu symptoms during his holiday last week, health officials suspected he might have passed the virus to others.
"Because they stay together at the same residence, there is a limit to how well we can isolate individual patients," said a city health official. "Along with the disease control agency, we are discussing to administer Tamiflu to all the unit members and officials."
On Monday, the Defense Ministry completed its countermeasures against the disease spread among soldiers. As part of the plan, the ministry installed disease control centers at each army and the Armed Forces Medical Command.
The ministry also distributed the antiviral drug Tamiflu and reagent kits for 25,000 soldiers, expanding its beneficiaries to field operation units.
As of Monday, a total of 80 confirmed patients were found among soldiers, according to the Defense Ministry. An infected soldier who showed pneumonia symptoms last week also has been recovering, the ministry said.
Three months after the nation's first infection case was confirmed, the total number of people infected with the disease here reached 1,520 yesterday with 28 additional cases found on the day alone.
(jylee@heraldm.com)
By Lee Ji-yoon
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