S. Korea to double Tamiflu stockpile amid swine flu concern

SEOUL, April 27 (Yonhap) -- South Korea will double its stockpile of Tamiflu and
other influenza drugs to brace for the spread of swine flu following outbreaks in
other countries, a top health official said Monday.
Currently, the state-run Korea Center for Disease Control (KCDC) holds enough
reserves of the antiviral drug Tamiflu to treat up to 2.5 million people, around
5 percent of the country's population.
"We believe that the nation has a sufficient amount of influenza medicine
including Tamiflu and Relenza," KCDC director Lee Jong-koo told reporters.
"Still, we plan to increase the amount to be able to treat 5 million people."
The move comes as nations across the globe are battling against a new strain of
swine flu that is blamed for dozens of deaths in Mexico. Human cases have also
been confirmed in the U.S., Canada and several other nations, raising fears that
the virus is spreading at a faster-than-expected pace.
Swine flu is a respiratory disease caused by type A influenza that regularly
causes outbreaks among pigs and is transmittable to humans.
Since Saturday, the South Korean government has also tightened quarantine
measures for pork imports from Mexico, the U.S. and Canada, while stepping up
inspections of tourists who have traveled to affected areas.
Lee said he could not rule out the chances that the virus could enter South Korea
but said that the government will be prepared to control such a situation. "We do
not think it will become a pandemic here in our nation," he said.
kokobj@yna.co.kr
(END)