Death toll from new flu reaches six over weekend
Published: 14 Sep. 2009, 00:54
Two more people died of the A(H1N1) influenza over the weekend, raising the number of people with the virus who have died to six.
A 73-year old woman infected with the virus passed away on Saturday and a 67-year-old man with the disease succumbed yesterday.
Both lived in the metropolitan area of the capital.
According to officials from the Health Ministry, the woman traveled to the Unites States recently. She was admitted to hospital with a fever and cough in late August, and tested positive for the new flu on Aug. 25.
Health officials said the woman was in a high risk group because she suffered from high blood pressure. She had been receiving treatment for pneumonia since Wednesday and suffered multiple organ failure due to the new flu.
Doctors said man who died yesterday was also in a high risk group because he suffered from a chronic liver condition. He was admitted to a hospital on Aug. 24 with symptoms of coughing, a fever and difficulty breathing.
He was diagnosed with pneumonia and was put on Tamiflu on Aug. 26. He officially tested positive for the new influenza on Aug. 27.
According to health authorities, the man, who died at 1 p.m. yesterday, hadn’t been abroad recently. Officials suspect he had been infected with the flu through contacts in the local community.
As of Sept. 10, 7,577 have been infected. Seven people remain hospitalized, according to the Ministry of Public Administration.
The Health Ministry said people aged over 65, pregnant women and people with chronic diseases should get tested if they develop a fever or sore throat.
The ministry is also investigating the possibility that a hospitalized patient in Daegu might have picked up the new influenza after being admitted.
According to the authorities, a male patient in his 60s, who has been hospitalized since April with diabetes and cardiac failure, was moved to an intensive care unit on Sept. 1 after his heart function deteriorated. The man had a high fever on Sept. 7 and tested positive for the new flu the next day.
Health authorities said the hospital in Daegu has recently been designated to provide treatment for people with the new influenza.
Kwon Jun-uk, a public relations officer at the ministry’s affiliate, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, asked people not to make unnecessary visits to hospitals to prevent the disease from spreading.
“Most Korean hospitals have a large number of wards that can accommodate six patients each and it’s hard to manage visitors,” Kwon said. “Such circumstance makes it easy for the new flu to spread.”
Lee Wang-jun, the head of Incheon Sarang Hospital in Incheon, said more quarantine facilities should be created by the hospitals treating the new flu.
Meanwhile, Green Cross completed experimental vaccine tests on 472 adults between Sept. 7 and 10 at three hospitals. Kim Woo-joo, who is in charge of the clinical tests and is also a professor at Korea University’s Guro hospital, said people have experienced no side effects so far.
“In three weeks, we will know whether the vaccinated people have developed antibodies or not by conducting blood tests,” Kim said.
Kim also suggested, depending on the result of the antibodies rate, people may only need one flu shot. Earlier, health officials have said the flu vaccine requires two shots.
“A Chinese flu vaccine that Boryung Pharmaceutical plans to import showed 95 percent of the experimental testers developed antibodies against the new flu with just one flu shot,” Kim said. “Since Green Cross used a similar method to produce its vaccine, we may need just a single doze.”
Meanwhile, health workers expressed concerns over the safety of a new flu vaccine manufactured by a multinational pharmaceutical company that the Health Ministry will import this year. The particular brand of vaccine contains an antiseptic called thimerosal.
By Kim Jung-Soo, Kim Mi-ju [[email protected]]
A 73-year old woman infected with the virus passed away on Saturday and a 67-year-old man with the disease succumbed yesterday.
Both lived in the metropolitan area of the capital.
According to officials from the Health Ministry, the woman traveled to the Unites States recently. She was admitted to hospital with a fever and cough in late August, and tested positive for the new flu on Aug. 25.
Health officials said the woman was in a high risk group because she suffered from high blood pressure. She had been receiving treatment for pneumonia since Wednesday and suffered multiple organ failure due to the new flu.
Doctors said man who died yesterday was also in a high risk group because he suffered from a chronic liver condition. He was admitted to a hospital on Aug. 24 with symptoms of coughing, a fever and difficulty breathing.
He was diagnosed with pneumonia and was put on Tamiflu on Aug. 26. He officially tested positive for the new influenza on Aug. 27.
According to health authorities, the man, who died at 1 p.m. yesterday, hadn’t been abroad recently. Officials suspect he had been infected with the flu through contacts in the local community.
As of Sept. 10, 7,577 have been infected. Seven people remain hospitalized, according to the Ministry of Public Administration.
The Health Ministry said people aged over 65, pregnant women and people with chronic diseases should get tested if they develop a fever or sore throat.
The ministry is also investigating the possibility that a hospitalized patient in Daegu might have picked up the new influenza after being admitted.
According to the authorities, a male patient in his 60s, who has been hospitalized since April with diabetes and cardiac failure, was moved to an intensive care unit on Sept. 1 after his heart function deteriorated. The man had a high fever on Sept. 7 and tested positive for the new flu the next day.
Health authorities said the hospital in Daegu has recently been designated to provide treatment for people with the new influenza.
Kwon Jun-uk, a public relations officer at the ministry’s affiliate, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, asked people not to make unnecessary visits to hospitals to prevent the disease from spreading.
“Most Korean hospitals have a large number of wards that can accommodate six patients each and it’s hard to manage visitors,” Kwon said. “Such circumstance makes it easy for the new flu to spread.”
Lee Wang-jun, the head of Incheon Sarang Hospital in Incheon, said more quarantine facilities should be created by the hospitals treating the new flu.
Meanwhile, Green Cross completed experimental vaccine tests on 472 adults between Sept. 7 and 10 at three hospitals. Kim Woo-joo, who is in charge of the clinical tests and is also a professor at Korea University’s Guro hospital, said people have experienced no side effects so far.
“In three weeks, we will know whether the vaccinated people have developed antibodies or not by conducting blood tests,” Kim said.
Kim also suggested, depending on the result of the antibodies rate, people may only need one flu shot. Earlier, health officials have said the flu vaccine requires two shots.
“A Chinese flu vaccine that Boryung Pharmaceutical plans to import showed 95 percent of the experimental testers developed antibodies against the new flu with just one flu shot,” Kim said. “Since Green Cross used a similar method to produce its vaccine, we may need just a single doze.”
Meanwhile, health workers expressed concerns over the safety of a new flu vaccine manufactured by a multinational pharmaceutical company that the Health Ministry will import this year. The particular brand of vaccine contains an antiseptic called thimerosal.
By Kim Jung-Soo, Kim Mi-ju [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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