S. Korea's reported H1N1 flu cases top 250

SEOUL, July 3 (Yonhap) -- Fifteen more people in South Korea were found to have
been infected with the new H1N1 flu on Friday, raising the nation's total number
of reported cases to over 250, health officials said.
Among the fifteen were a ten-year old boy in North Jeolla Province who had
traveled to Australia late last month and a 27-year old Philippine woman residing
here who had recently traveled to her homeland, according to the Ministry of
Health and Welfare. A total of 253 cases have been confirmed so far.
The boy was a student at a school which was shut down on Thursday as a
precautionary measure after another student that traveled together with the
10-year old was confirmed to have been infected with the contagious disease.
Health authorities were also trying track down other passengers and crew members
that were aboard planes with the confirmed patients to prevent the airborne virus
from spreading further.
According to the latest tally by the WHO, more than 50,000 confirmed cases of
H1N1 flu infections have been reported worldwide since it was first identified in
April, with over 200 deaths blamed on the disease.
No H1N1-related deaths have been reported in South Korea.
odissy@yna.co.kr
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