Flu epidemic has subsided, but watch out for the Lunar New Year holiday...Observe personal hygiene, such as hand washing
Jan 27, 2025
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According to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 57.7 flu patients per 1,000 people visited 300 sample monitoring medical institutions in the third week of this year (January 12-18), down 33.0% from 86.1 last week.
Suspected flu cases have been declining for two consecutive weeks after peaking at 99.8 in the first week of this year. However, it is still very high than the 8.6 people standard for this season.
By age, patients aged 7 to 12 had the highest number of 103.9 per 1,000 people. It was followed by 88.6 people aged 13-18 years, 76.2 people aged 1-6, 71.0 people aged 19-49, 40.3 people aged 50-64 years, 39.4 people aged 0 years, and 21.6 people aged 65 years or older.
The number of influenza hospitalized patients at hospital-level medical institutions was 1235 in the third week of this year, down 24.1% from the previous week (1,627) compared to the previous week, but still high compared to the same period last year.
In the results of surveillance of respiratory viral pathogens, the flu virus detection rate was 45.6%, down 17.1% from the previous week. The virus types were A(H1N1)pdm09.28.5%, A(H3N2) 15.7%, and B type 1.4%.
According to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, high-risk groups should be vaccinated against the flu even now.
The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention explained that the flu virus, which has recently been prevalent, has similar antigenicity to this seasonal vaccine strain, so sufficient preventive effects can be expected from vaccination, and there are no mutations showing resistance to antiviral drugs, so effective treatment is possible.
Currently, 6 months to 13 years of age (born January 1, 2011 to August 31, 2024), pregnant women, and over 65 years of age (born before December 31, 1959) can receive the flu vaccine free of charge until April 30 this year.
"As large-scale movements and gatherings are expected during the Lunar New Year holiday, people should follow special rules for preventing respiratory diseases such as hand washing, cough etiquette, and ventilation so that they can spend the Lunar New Year holiday healthy," said Ji Young-mi, head of the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "In particular, it is safe for high-risk groups of respiratory infectious diseases such as the elderly to wear masks indoors in closed rooms and to refrain from participating in events where many people gather, and visitors and workers to vulnerable facilities and medical institutions must wear masks to protect high-risk groups."
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This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
