S. Korea reports 2nd death from influenza A

(ATTN: UPDATES with more details from related press briefing in paras 2-6)
SEOUL, Aug. 16 (Yonhap) -- South Korea reported its second death from influenza A
on Sunday, raising concerns that the country is no longer insulated from the
contagious disease that is spreading rapidly worldwide.
The 63-year-old female resident of Seoul died from respiratory problems and
multiple organ failure while receiving treatment at a local hospital, the
Ministry of Health and Welfare said. Her identity has been withheld.
Authorities presume that the patient, who first showed flu-like symptoms in late
July, may have contracted the virus through so-called community transmission, as
she had not traveled overseas recently. The patient's husband and staff at the
hospital all tested negative for the flu.
The woman was hospitalized on July 30 due to difficulty breathing and was
confirmed to have been infected with the flu on Aug. 8.
She had been receiving treatment for high blood pressure and medication for
gastritis since 2003 and also underwent artificial joint replacement surgery on
her knee last year, according to officials.
"The husband has also not traveled overseas recently or had any contact with
anyone that went abroad," Jeon Byung-ryul, head of the Korea Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, said at a press briefing, explaining that the patient
contracted the virus domestically.
On Saturday, Seoul's health authorities said that a man in his 50s died of
pneumonia apparently caused by the H1N1 virus, widely known as swine flu, marking
the country's first flu-related death since the first case was reported here in
early May.
Officials also reported 57 new infections earlier in the day, including eight
students at an all-girls high school in Daegu, 302km southeast of Seoul.
So far, 2,089 South Koreans have been infected with the disease but most have
showed only mild symptoms and have made full recoveries. Around 400 people remain
quarantined at home or state-designated hospitals.
According to health officials, 50.1 percent of flu cases in South Korea involved
inbound travelers, while 14.7 percent contracted the disease through
person-to-person transmission.
The infection rate is feared to accelerate as students currently overseas for
language training or short-term holidays will return home as the summer vacation
draws to an end, raising the possibility of transmission among classmates and
family members, experts say.
odissy@yna.co.kr
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