S. Korea quarantines Vietnamese traveler for flu-like symptoms

(ATTN: RECASTS and ADDS updated info in para 1-6)
SEOUL, May 18 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's health authorities are examining a
Vietnamese transit passenger with flu-like symptoms for possible infection with
Influenza A.

The 22-year-old woman was held at Incheon International Airport with a high fever
before being transferred to an unidentified hospital for further tests, the Korea
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said.
The woman, whose name was not disclosed, arrived in South Korea from Seattle on
Sunday afternoon to take a connecting flight to Vietnam.
"She was running a fever," KCDC's senior official, Jun Byung-yool, told
reporters. "We and airline officials consulted with each other and decided to
conduct in-depth tests on the woman."
The Vietnamese woman was given antiviral drugs, and tests are being conducted to
check whether she is infected with the new flu. As a precautionary measure, the
KCDC is also tracking down the 101 passengers who were aboard the same airplane,
he added.
The results of the investigation were supposed to be unveiled in the afternoon,
but the KCDC later said they would probably be available Tuesday morning.
Since the H1N1 flu outbreak was reported in Mexico last month, the Seoul
government has been stepping up efforts to stem the spread by intensifying
monitoring of inbound travelers.
South Korea has confirmed three cases of the new virus, all of whom were released
from quarantine after being treated with antiviral drugs.
Currently, the nation holds enough antiviral drugs, including Tamiflu, for 2.5
million patients, or 5 percent of the population, a number that the KCDC seeks to
double.
According to the World Health Organization, Influenza A has claimed 66 lives in
Mexico and four in the United States, while 8,500 cases of H1NI virus infection
have been reported in 39 countries.
kokobj@yna.co.kr
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