S. Korea confirms 30 more flu cases

SEOUL, Aug. 5 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's health authorities said Wednesday that they have confirmed an additional 30 cases of influenza A, raising the total infection tally here to 1,550.

The patients included five participants in an outdoor camping trip and five
public servants being trained in Gangwon Province. They all tested positive for
the H1N1 virus, according to the Ministry for Health, Welfare and Family Affairs.
As of Wednesday, 22 people remained in isolation at state-designated hospitals,
with 310 being treated at home. The other patients recovered fully after
receiving antibiotics, while no deaths have been reported here in connection with
the flu.
But fears are growing that the disease, which has claimed hundreds of lives
worldwide since first reported in April, could be spreading more quickly via
person-to-person contact as more patients are confirmed from the military, church
camp groups and other outdoor gatherings.
The government is intensifying efforts to brace for widespread infections by
stockpiling vaccine. It recently upgraded its disease alert status for the flu to
the second-highest level.