S. Korea confirms sixth flu case

(ATTN: CHANGES lead, UPDATES with details)
SEOUL, May 23 (Yonhap) -- South Korean health authorities confirmed Saturday that
a South Korean woman has been infected with the new type-A influenza virus, the
sixth such case here.
The 26-year-old woman resides in the same building as an American English teacher
who was confirmed to be infected with the virus Saturday morning, according to
the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Health authorities say they are working on tracking down about 70 individuals who
came into contact with the American woman since she arrived in the country to
work as an English teacher on May 16. Out of the 70, seven have been quarantined
after showing apparent flu-like symptoms. The latest case was found among the
group.
Four have been classified as possibly being infected with type-A influenza and
have been moved to a hospital in Seoul, while two others have already tested
negative, the authorities said.
The center says test results for the four possible patients will be disclosed on
Sunday.
Since the outbreak of the new flu virus was first reported in Mexico last month,
Seoul has been stepping up efforts to stem the spread of the disease by
intensifying monitoring of inbound travelers.
The South Korean government has now confirmed six cases of the new virus -- four
Koreans, one Vietnamese traveler and one American. The three South Koreans have
all recovered from the disease after being treated with antiviral medication.
According to the World Health Organization, the new virus strain has hit some 40
countries worldwide, infecting over 8,000 people. Of those, 74 have died from the
virus that is capable of person-to-person transmission, with most of the deaths
taking place in Mexico.
brk@yna.co.kr
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