Four nations added to Korea's travel advisory list By Tony Chang

SEOUL, May 18 (Yonhap) -- South Korea has issued a travel advisory for Belgium, Peru, Ecuador and Malaysia, after a new influenza A outbreak was reported in those countries, the foreign ministry said Monday.

India and Turkey also reported newly confirmed cases last week but the government
had already issued travel advisories for the two countries and did not raise the
alert level, ministry officials said. The government also issued travel alerts
for Mexico and Japan last month and last week, respectively.
Since the outbreak of the H1N1 flu was reported in Mexico last month, the Seoul
government has stepped up efforts to stem its spread by intensifying monitoring
of international travel.
South Korea has reported three confirmed patients infected with the new virus,
all of whom were released from quarantine after being treated with antiviral
drugs. The Korea Centers for Disease Control (KCDC) said that it will double its
stockpile of antiviral drugs to be able to treat 5 million patients. Currently,
the nation holds enough flu drugs, including Tamiflu, for 2.5 million patients, 5
percent of the total population.
According to the World Health Organization, influenza A, widely known as swine
flu, has claimed 68 lives in Mexico and five in the United States. Around 8,500
cases of H1N1 virus infections have been reported in 39 countries.
The ministry also said that a KCDC team sent to Mexico was scheduled to return
home on Tuesday after successfully completing two weeks of medical support work
for Korean nationals and immigrants in the country.
odissy@yna.co.kr