Eighteen more die from H1N1

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SEOUL, Nov. 18 (Yonhap) -- Eighteen more people have died in South Korea from the
Influenza A (H1N1) virus, raising the country's total death toll from the new flu
to 82, health authorities said Wednesday.
An 11-year-old girl and a 42-year-old man died after being diagnosed with the
H1N1 virus, officials from the central disaster relief headquarters said. Neither
were classified as being in the high-risk category and were given anti-viral
medication.
Sixteen others, including a 34-year-old man who had a previous illness, were
classified as high-risk patients, they said.
Out of the 82 who died from the new flu, 69 were classified as high-risk and 13
others were not, officials said.
The infection rate and number of fatalities from the pandemic was waning, they
said. The death toll peaked at the end of last month when 24 people died between
Oct. 25-31. It has since come down to 19 in the first week of November and 16
last week.
Some 88,700 elementary, middle and high school students have been vaccinated as
of Tuesday, and 189 of them have reported minor side effects after receiving the
anti-viral drugs, officials said. Thirty-six medical staffers also reported side
effects after the vaccination.
A 14-year-old student last week was found unconscious outside his family's
apartment after being administered with the anti-viral drug Tamiflu. He told
authorities he experienced hallucinations after taking the drug and could not
remember what happened afterwards.
ejkim@yna.co.kr
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