Quarantine officer classified as probable flu case

SEOUL, July 7 (Yonhap) -- A female airport quarantine officer was diagnosed with
a probable case of Influenza A, South Korean health authorities said Tuesday,
raising concerns over the safety of quarantine staff.
The 27-year-old quarantine worker showed flu symptoms such as fever and a sore
throat after having contact with co-workers infected with the H1N1 virus the
previous day, the Ministry for Health, Welfare and Family Affairs said.
"Tests are underway to determine whether she has been infected with the disease,"
the ministry said. "Her family members, however, have not shown any flu-like
symptoms yet."
The diagnosis raised the number of probable cases in South Korea to three.
Currently, South Korea has 307 confirmed Influenza A flu cases, with 75 patients
in isolation for treatment. No deaths have been reported.
The report comes after four airport quarantine officers were found to be infected
on Sunday and Monday, sparking worries that there may be loopholes in health
authorities' measures to protect their staff from the potentially deadly disease.
An official at the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said there is
no way to prevent quarantine officers from being infected with the virus because
vaccines have yet to be developed.
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