Lee requests 'full cooperation' in fight against flu

SEOUL, Nov. 3 (Yonhap) -- President Lee Myung-bak on Tuesday asked for full
coordination between ministries and local governments to allay growing public
concerns over the rapidly spreading Influenza A as the government is poised to
raise the flu alert to the highest level.

"I ask for full cooperation to ensure people remain calm amid fear about the
virus," Lee was quoted as saying by his spokesperson Kim Eun-hye during a Cabinet
meeting. "This is not an issue to be dealt by the health ministry alone. All
ministries should act responsibly and cooperate to come up with an effective
system."
The government was to raise the alert for Influenza A to "red" at a meeting later
Tuesday.
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 and requires immediate action by authorities.
The move comes as an average of some 8,800 South Koreans were confirmed to have
caught the flu on a daily basis last week, twice as many as the number the
previous week. A total of 42 people have died from the flu in the country as of
Tuesday, including a patient in the 20s, an age group considered to have a strong
immune system against the disease.
Under the new alert level, the government would impose travel restrictions and
limit permissions for large-scale events.
President Lee also asked ministers to carry out their duties with an attitude of
"self-sacrifice and devotion" to overcome the lingering effects from the Wall
Street-sparked financial crisis last fall.
"It is time for us to prepare for new orders after the crisis," he was quoted as
saying. "The private sector will follow the lead once the government sets the
pace."
hayney@yna.co.kr
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