S. Korea confirms 48 more flu cases

SEOUL, July 29 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's health authorities Wednesday confirmed
an additional 48 cases of influenza A, raising the total number of flu infections
here to 1,327.

The new patients, including 11 participants in a church camp and six high-school
students in Seoul, tested positive for the H1N1 virus, the Ministry for Health,
Welfare and Family Affairs said in an e-mailed statement.
South Korea has been relatively insulated from the global pandemic, which has
claimed hundreds of lives since it was first identified in April. Most of the
patients here have been inbound travelers from affected countries.
But fears are growing that the spread of the disease through person-to-person
transmission among local residents may be picking up pace. Infections among
participants in camp outings are also increasing.
The government is intensifying efforts to brace for widespread infections by
seeking to stockpile enough vaccine to inoculate around 27 percent of the
nation's population against the flu virus.
Last week, the ministry upgraded its disease alert level by one notch to the
second-highest, calling for cities and provinces to run emergency disease control
systems around the clock.
As of Wednesday, 70 people remained in isolation at state-designated hospitals
with 446 staying at home for treatment. The other patients have recovered and
were released after being treated with antibiotics. No flu-related deaths have
been reported in South Korea.
kokobj@yna.co.kr
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