Entire S. Korean military to be vaccinated against new flu: official

By Sam Kim
SEOUL, Aug. 3 (Yonhap) -- South Korea plans to start vaccinating its entire
655,000-strong military against type-A influenza at the end of November, a
defense official said Monday.

The 9.2-billion-won (US$7.5 million) project comes after 81 South Korean soldiers
have contracted the virus that has killed hundreds of people worldwide since
being first reported in April.
The total number of infections in South Korea surpassed 1,460 as of Sunday. No
deaths have been reported here.
Kang Sung-heub, who oversees health affairs at the Ministry of National Defense,
said 56 of the affected soldiers have been treated since the military reported
its first outbreak about a month ago.
"We expect the number of infections in the military to rise as flu could break
out more widely in the fall," he told reporters. "We have come to conclude that
we need to vaccinate the entire military."
The government recently elevated its disease alert status to the second-highest
level. It has also advised people to be cautious when traveling abroad in
countries where the disease is more common.
samkim@yna.co.kr
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