H1N1 alert level is raised to RED

The government raised the level of the H1N1 influenza pandemic to its highest ‘Red’ level. Jun Jae-hee, The Minister of Health, Welfare and Family Affairs (MHWFA) reported this to President Lee during a cabinet meeting.

The H1N1 alert level is divided into four phases - Blue, Yellow, Orange and Red. The government announced ‘Yellow’ level on the 21st of July and maintained this level. Since more than 10,000 new H1N1 cases per day were recorded and people have died, the government finally raised the level to ‘Red’. The government made the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention including the minister of Public Administration and Security and decided to be under emergency work system to prevent the spread of the H1N1.

The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has been made for natural disasters such as typhoons and floods but this is the first time to be made for the spread of infectious diseases. The minister of Public Administration and Security is the head of the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other top executives to be responsible for the prevention, response, work control, and integrated management on situation. When the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention set up, extra Centers for control will be operated in 16 cities and provinces, 230 cities and towns.

Instead of not closing schools which are the centers of the spread of H1N1, the government will finish giving flu vaccines to elementary• middle• high school students until the beginning of December by putting more people like military surgeons.

Meanwhile, President Lee asked for full coordination between ministries and local governments to allay growing public concerns over the rapidly spreading Influenza. President Lee also said, “This is not an issue to be dealt by the health ministry alone. All ministries should act responsibly and cooperate to come up with an effective system” and “All ministries should cooperate by controlling vaccinations and the treatment to ensure people remain calm amid fear about the virus.”


Here is a related video.

‘I will not go to school……’

Catch Influenza A virus subtype H1N1 of immature elementary school students.

‘They hang out with friends who sneeze, and wear the masks of students that had a cold……’

A housewife ‘Park (43, Gangdong-gu, Seoul)’ heard a shocking story from her son, an elementary school student, lately. His classmates are trying all means possible to catch Influenza A virus subtype H1N1 because they do not want to go to school.

It is a very shocking story that her son told of ‘immature’ students’ actions. They hang out with friends who sneeze or have a fever, and don’t wash their hands after exercising. In addition, they wear the masks of students that had a cold.

Park sighed “A big academy takes students’ temperatures before class, and then students who have a fever are pleased saying ‘Mommy, I think I don't need to go to school.’” Besides, “As they don’t know that their parents are shocked, they acted thoughtlessly.”

In fact, it is easy to find such questions ‘How to get H1N1’, ‘How to have a fever’ etc, and writings ‘I want to be absent with H1N1.’

They wrote writing ‘I don't want to go to school, so please tell me how to get H1N1 at once or how to show similar symptoms’. Then some students told a ridiculous story ‘Stay in crowded places and then use a keyboard which is used by others for more than 2 hours and rub your nose or eat food with those hands.’

In addition, some students are having dangerous ideas, ‘There is H1N1 check in school tomorrow morning, so I need a fever of more than 37.5 degrees’ and ‘If I have to eat something, I'll purchase it whatever it may be.’

In particular, a strange story has spread out that ‘You will never catch a cold after suffering from H1N1’

It is a serious problem that some students don’t know the seriousness of the situation and have such eased attitudes such as ‘I don’t care about getting H1N1’, even though it has caused 11 deaths in Korea and has raised social anxiety about H1N1.

A middle school student ‘Youn(15, Suwon, Kyung-ki)’ said “There are many friends who want to get H1N1 because that student will take a rest about for a week” and “A class teacher checks students’ temperatures and tells students to try to wash their hands, but they don’t worry about it and even think ‘I’m not going to die.’”

Ministry of Education, Science and Technology(교육과학기술부) officials said that “I heard that there are students who want to get H1N1 intentionally, but this report has not been confirmed’ and “They cannot be absent unconditionally because of a high fever and symptoms of a cold, and have to decide on a measure of stopping to attend school after consultation with a public health teacher of the school.”