Rapidly Spreading Flu... Red Alert for K-pop Too: "Le Sserafim Cancels Bangkok Concert"

Spread Level "Already at December Level"
Flu Vaccination Should Be Hastened

Influenza (flu) is spreading faster than last year due to recent easing of quarantine measures. Transmission in schools has already far exceeded the epidemic threshold, and the entertainment industry is also facing emergencies such as overseas concert cancellations.

According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency on the 7th, the number of suspected flu patients showing symptoms who visited 196 nationwide sentinel surveillance medical institutions during the fourth week of last month, from the 24th to the 30th, was 20.8 per 1,000 outpatients.

Photo by Source Music [Image source=Yonhap News]

This is about a 20% increase from 17.3 the previous week. Since the flu epidemic warning was issued on the 15th of last month, the graph has risen continuously for four consecutive weeks without decline.

Transmission in schools is particularly severe. The proportion of suspected patients among elementary school students aged 7 to 12 was 53.8, which is 8.3 times the epidemic threshold. The spread of the epidemic was also prominent in school-age groups, with 31.8 among those aged 13 to 18 and 22.9 among those aged 1 to 6.

The entertainment industry has also turned red. The K-pop group LE SSERAFIM had to cancel their Bangkok concert as three out of five members contracted the flu.

The agency Source Music announced on the global fandom life platform Weverse on the 6th that the '2023 LE SSERAFIM Tour Flame Rises' Bangkok concerts scheduled for the 7th and 8th were canceled.

Source Music stated, "LE SSERAFIM members Kim Chaewon, Heo Yunjin, and Kazuha visited a hospital on the 6th (local time in Bangkok) due to sudden high fever and headache symptoms and were diagnosed with type A influenza. These members are currently in self-quarantine and receiving treatment under medical supervision."

Photo by Yonhap News

Details regarding ticket refunds due to the concert cancellation will be announced later by the local organizer.

LE SSERAFIM successfully held concerts starting in Seoul in August, followed by Nagoya, Tokyo, Osaka in Japan, Hong Kong, and Jakarta. They had planned to conclude the tour in Bangkok.

As the flu epidemic continues, the number of suspected patients reached the level typical of December during the fourth week of last month, just before the Chuseok holiday. In the 2019?2020 and 2022?2023 seasons, the numbers reached 17.3 and 19.5 respectively only by the second week of December.

National influenza vaccination has been underway since the 20th of last month and will continue until April 30 of next year. General citizens who are not eligible for the national vaccination program can also receive paid vaccinations at primary medical institutions.

The health authorities emphasized, "Since the flu epidemic may spread further, please actively participate in the national vaccination program. Especially children, pregnant women, and seniors aged 65 and over, who are at relatively higher risk of complications such as pneumonia upon infection, should get vaccinated as soon as possible."

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