Vietnamese traveler confirmed as new flu case: S. Korea

SEOUL, May 19 (Yonhap) -- South Korean health authorities confirmed Tuesday that
a Vietnamese transit passenger quarantined at a local hospital has been infected
with the new type-A influenza virus.

The 22-year-old woman who arrived in South Korea from Seattle on Sunday afternoon
planned to take a connecting flight to Vietnam, but was held for observation
after complaining of high fever, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention said.
"Tests conducted on the woman showed she has been infected with the new flu
virus," an official with the center said.
The woman, whose name has not been released, is the fourth confirmed case of the
new flu virus in South Korea.
Seoul confirmed three cases of the variant H1N1 virus earlier in the month,
although all were released from quarantine after responding well to antiviral
drug treatment.
According to the World Health Organization, the new strain has hit 40 countries
worldwide infecting a total of 8,829 people. Of those, 74 have died from the
virus that is capable of person-to-person transmission.
yonngong@yna.co.kr
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