New flu cases down sharply last week

The number of new flu cases reported in Korea fell sharply last week as more than 10 million people been vaccinated to stem the spread of the pandemic, the government said Thursday, according to Yonhap News.
The Central Influenza Headquarters under the health ministry said a total of 3,565 people have been confirmed as having caught the Influenza A (H1N1) virus in the seven day period, down from 5,463 in the second week of this month.
Seoul, which reported its first H1N1-related fatality in mid-August, started a nationwide vaccination program in November that inoculated over 20 percent of the 48 million people living in the country.

Under the vaccination program, the government gave a top priority to medical personnel, soldiers, school children, infants and pregnant women who were most vulnerable to the flu that has spread all over the world.


The Korea Herald is South Korea’s largest English-language daily and the country’s sole member of the Asia News Network (ANN).