Flu Resurgence... Health Authorities Say "Ventilation is a Preventive Measure"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Byeon Seon-jin] The flu epidemic has recently turned into a spreading trend. The number of suspected flu patients is increasing among infants and adolescents, and there is an analysis that the epidemic could intensify further due to the characteristic of the flu spreading from younger to older age groups.

According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency's 'Infectious Disease Sentinel Surveillance Weekly Newsletter' on the 28th, the proportion of patients showing influenza-like illness (ILI) symptoms per 1,000 outpatients from October 16 to 22 (week 43) was 7.6, an increase of 1.4 from 6.2 in the previous week of October 9 to 15 (week 42). This means that 7 to 8 out of every 1,000 visitors to hospitals and clinics showed flu symptoms such as high fever over 38℃, cough, and sore throat. This level far exceeds the epidemic threshold of 4.9 for this flu season.

During the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020-2021, the figure was only in the 1 range due to strengthened hygiene measures such as mask-wearing and social distancing, but this year, with the progress of daily life recovery, the flu epidemic is accelerating.

Looking at the ILI proportion by age group, those aged 13 to 18 had the highest rate at 14.3 (week 42: 10.8), which is about 2.9 times the epidemic threshold. The 1 to 6 and 7 to 12 age groups also increased to 8.7 and 6.9 respectively, up from 7.2 and 5.9 in week 42. Since the flu typically spreads in the order of infants → young adults → middle-aged → elderly, there is also speculation that the flu epidemic could worsen further in January.

Cho Gyu-hong, First Deputy Head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (Minister of Health and Welfare), said at the Central Disaster Management Headquarters meeting on the same day, "Ventilation is an effective means of preventing infection. Natural ventilation for 10 minutes reduces the risk of infection by 38%," and added, "In facilities with a high risk of infection such as sports facilities and cafes, please open windows for at least 10 minutes at least three times a day to ventilate." The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency is operating a flu surveillance system targeting 200 medical institutions nationwide. The Central Disease Control Headquarters plans to distribute ventilation-related guidelines, including air purifier use, in November after collecting expert opinions.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.