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S. Korea on alert as suspected case of swine flu confirmed

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-04-29 00:17

SEOUL -- The South Korean government raised its health alert level and further heightened quarantine measures against swine flu on Tuesday after confirming the nation's first patient suspected of swine flu.

A South Korean quarantine officer checks the body temperature of a passenger arriving from China at Incheon International Airport April 28, 2009. [Agencies]

1ST CASE OF SUSPECTED SWINE FLU INFECTION

The state-run Korea Center for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said on Tuesday afternoon that a 51-year-old woman was found positive on the type-A influenza test.

Full coverage:  Swine Flu Outbreak Related readings:  SKorea reports 'probable' swine flu case  Swine flu spreads to Middle East, Asia-Pacific  S Korea testing suspected swine flu case

The KCDC, accordingly, classified the woman as an 'assumed patient,' one-notch higher than a 'suspected patient.'

An assumed patient refers to a person showing a positive result on the type-A influenza test, according to South Korea's health authorities.

The South Korean government has sent the patient to an isolation ward and will further conduct a final test and report the case to the US health authorities to get a confirmation, which may take up to one week, the KDCD said.

The patient is one of the three South Koreans who showed similar symptoms of swine flu after returning from a trip to Mexico, with the other two found negative on the preliminary test.

SOUTH KOREAN GOVERNMENT ON ALERT

The South Korean government on Tuesday raised its health alert level by one notch to "Yellow" from the previous "Blue," the lowest level in the nation's four-tier disaster alert system, amid growing concerns on swine flu spread in the nation.

The Yellow level is activated when a suspected or confirmed case of transmittable disease is reported.

The South Korean military also raised its alert against swine flu, ordering that any soldier suspected of showing flu symptoms be reported to them immediately.

South Korean President Lee Myung-bak convened an emergency meeting on the swine flu in the afternoon and demanded the authorities to brief all information related to the swine flu to the public while taking efficient measures against the epidemic disease.    

The South Korean government began to brace for the outbreak of swine flu by declaring on Sunday to tighten quarantine measures for pork from the United States and Mexico, which had been confirmed of swine influenza outbreaks by the World Health Organization.

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