As influenza cases rise in South Korea, health authorities anticipate issuing a flu outbreak advisory this week.
According to Yonhap News on September 8, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) reported this during a joint task force meeting with the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, the Ministry of Health and Welfare, and medical experts to assess the current influenza situation in the country.
The KDCA noted that the proportion of patients with influenza-like illness (fever above 100.4°F along with cough or sore throat) in outpatient clinics was 13.3 per 1,000 patients during the 35th week of the year (August 23-29), an increase from 9.2 the previous week and significantly higher than the 6.4 reported during the same period last year.
“The occurrence of influenza in South Korea is unusually increasing from late summer in late August,” said KDCA Commissioner Lim Seung-kwan. “Considering the recent upward trend, the proportion of patients with influenza-like illness during the 36th week (August 30-September 5) is expected to exceed the threshold for issuing an outbreak advisory. An advisory is anticipated this week.”
The proportion of influenza-like illness is rising across all age groups, particularly among children aged 7 to 12, with 36.5 cases per 1,000, and those aged 1 to 6, with 22.6 cases per 1,000.
The detection rate of influenza viruses among respiratory patients in outpatient clinics has also increased to 12.3%, up from 10.0% in the 34th week.
Influenza is not only spreading in South Korea but also in neighboring countries like Japan and China, where cases are occurring earlier than usual this year.
In Japan, the reported incidence of influenza during the 35th week was 1.76 cases per institution, surpassing the outbreak threshold of 1.0. In China, particularly in the southern regions, the incidence rate is also higher than in previous years.
Meanwhile, influenza vaccinations will begin on September 21 for children aged 6 months to 14 years, pregnant women, and seniors aged 65 and older. Seniors will be able to receive both influenza and COVID-19 vaccinations simultaneously starting October 12.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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