President orders doubling of Tamiflu supply

SEOUL, Aug. 24 (Yonhap) -- President Lee Myung-bak on Monday demanded all-out
efforts to increase the supply of drugs to treat Influenza A after a
recommendation from health authorities that the country needs to nearly double
its stock, his spokesman said.

"After receiving a report that the new flu could rapidly spread in October or
November, the president said the government must make its utmost effort to secure
a sufficient supply of treatment drugs, including Tamiflu," Cheong Wa Dae
spokesman Lee Dong-kwan told a press briefing after a meeting of secretaries.
As of Monday, more than 3,000 South Koreans have been diagnosed with the new H1N1
virus since its was first reported here in May. About 1,000 patients are
currently being treated at hospitals or in their homes.
Seoul currently has enough Tamiflu to inoculate some 5.31 million people, about
10 percent of the country's total population. Health officials reported Monday
the country will need to secure enough for 20 percent of the population.
"This means the government will inject emergency funds if necessary to secure the
required drugs," the spokesman said.
bdk@yna.co.kr
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