S. Korea confirms 3 more flu cases

SEOUL, May 28 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's health authorities said Thursday that
they have confirmed three more cases of Influenza A, brining the number of
reported infections here to 32.

According to the Ministry for Health, Welfare and Family Affairs, a 41-year-old
American English teacher, a 38-year-old educator and a 19-year-old Korean
national were confirmed to have been infected with the H1N1 virus.
The English teacher and the 38-year-old patient work at the same language
institute where by Wednesday 20 employees, mostly foreign instructors, had
already been found to be infected with the contagious disease.
The 19-year-old Korean is being treated at a state-designated hospital since
returning from overseas on Tuesday after showing flu-like symptoms, the ministry
said.
South Korea had been considered relatively insulated from the highly contagious
virus until last week, with just four confirmed cases reported.
The number, however, is growing sharply after a group of foreign English teachers
were found to be infected in the same language institute over the weekend,
raising concerns the virus might be spreading through person-to-person contact.
According to the latest tally by the World Health Organization, 48 countries have
officially reported more than 13,000 cases of influenza A infection, including 95
deaths. Most deaths have occurred in Mexico and the United States.
kokobj@yna.co.kr
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