(2nd LD) S. Korea to raise flu alert to highest level

(ATTN: RECASTS headline, lead; ADDS task-force plan in last 3 paras; REWRITES
throughout)
SEOUL, Nov. 2 (Yonhap) -- South Korea plans to raise its alert for Influenza A to
the highest "red" level to reflect the rapid spread of the potentially deadly
disease here, health authorities said Monday.
The move comes as an average of 8,857 South Koreans were confirmed as having
caught the flu every day last week, twice as many as the number the week before.
A total of 40 people have died from the flu since mid-August, with 48 patients
currently in intensive care units.
The Ministry for Health, Welfare and Family Affairs said an official announcement
will be made Tuesday afternoon after a joint meeting of related government
agencies and consultations with experts.
"The alert will be raised since the gain in the number of new flu patients has
reached a worrisome level, and the uptrend is feared to continue for the next
three to four weeks," a ministry official said.
The red level is the highest on the country's four-tier alert system for a
contagious disease and is issued if a virus is spreading rapidly among the
general population that requires immediate action by authorities.
In order to contain the spread of the H1N1 virus, the government will impose
travel restrictions, cancel large-scale events and speed up the testing process
to see if a person has contracted the disease or not, the ministry said.
Efforts will also be made to prevent people from abusing anti-viral medicine like
Tamiflu that can lead to dangerous tolerance to the drug in the future.
The ministry, however, said no orders will be given to close down all schools at
present.
The decision to raise the national epidemic alert level to "red" is a sign that
Seoul is concerned that the new flu strain is spreading at a "pandemic" pace.
An outbreak of a virus strain that has broken out among livestock but has not
reached humans receives a "blue" alert, followed by "yellow" for people getting
sick, but without person-to-person contaminations. This is raised to "orange" if
a virus is transmitted from one person to another without it being widespread.
Related to the surge in sick people, the ministry said that hospitals have
reported roughly 80 percent of all seasonal influenza cases have tested positive
for Influenza A.
Meanwhile, a ranking official at the Ministry of Public Administration and
Security said the country is considering establishing a pan-governmental crisis
center to deal with the highly contagious disease.
"If the health ministry makes an official request, a meeting of officials from
related ministries will be held to decide whether to set up such a task force,"
the official said. "It could be formed as early as Wednesday."
If created, it would be the country's first central anti-disaster headquarters to
deal with a disease, although crisis centers were set up in the past to cope with
typhoons and other natural disasters.
yonngong@yna.co.kr
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