S. Korea to boost antiviral stockpiles for influenza A

By Koh Byung-joon
SEOUL, Aug. 20 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's health authorities said Thursday that
they will expand their antiviral drug stockpile in preparation for a local
epidemic of the highly contagious H1N1 flu virus.

In a consultation meeting with ruling party lawmakers, the Ministry for Health,
Welfare and Family Affairs -- which currently has enough drugs to treat 11
percent of the nation's population -- said it will increase the stockpile to
enough for 15 to 20 percent of the total national population of 49 million.
"We are currently having consultations with related ministries to expand the
stockpile and increase the budget to purchase vaccines as their global prices are
on the rise," Health Ministry Jeon Jae-hee was quoted as saying during the
meeting.
The move comes as the pace of infections is picking up here after two South
Koreans were found to have died of complications caused by the disease over the
weekend, marking the first fatalities since it was reported in early May in the
country.
The deaths prompted jitters that the nation is not well prepared for the
possibility that the disease could turn into a life-threatening epidemic ahead of
the autumn flu season between October and November.
The flu, first reported in late April, has claimed around 1,500 deaths globally,
which caused the World Health Organization earlier to declare it is a pandemic.
South Korea has been relatively insulated from the disease, but the infection
pace has accelerated as more patients are confirmed from the military, church
camps and other outdoor gatherings.
Concerns are also growing as to whether the government will be able to secure the
planned amount at a time when other countries are also rushing to stockpile as
much as vaccines as possible for fear of a pandemic, experts say.
The government set aside 193 billion won (US$154.9 million) to secure vaccines
enough to inoculate 27 percent of its population to brace for a pandemic ahead of
the autumn flu season. The ministry said that it will complete vaccinations by
the end of February.
Meanwhile, health authorities said that they have confirmed 97 more cases of
influenza A overnight raising the total flu infections in South Korea to 2,417.
Most of the total infections fully recovered except the two deaths with 573
patients currently being treated at home or in hospital, they added.
kokobj@yna.co.kr
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