Influenza A virus subtype H1N1 Syndrome |
| [영어뉴스] 최종수정일 / 2009년 09월 17일 |
With the whether becoming colder, it is expected that people who catch the Influenza A virus subtype H1N1 Syndrome will increase rapidly during the interval between September and November. At hospitals all over the country, hundreds of people want to know whether they are affected by H1N1 or not. Elementary schools with infected students have closed temporarily. Korea is considering moving up the level of danger from the cautionary to the serious.
People may fear it, but it is not fatal. Until now (September 11), of the 10000 people suspected to have been infected with the new species of flu, only 3000 were actually infected, and of these only 8 people have died. Thus, the death rate from H1N1 is 0.08%.
Masan Samsung Hospital's Dr. Yong Jun-ho, who specializes in respiratory illnesses, said, "Healthy people can overcome the H1N1 naturally without being prescribed Tamiflu in its initial stages." People need not worry too much as they go through their everyday life, according to Dr. Yong.
In spite of these facts, what is the reason for the spread of fear about H1N1 over the whole country
The first reason is the government's idleness. Only about 11% of Tamiflu has been secured by Korea. The fear that one cannot be prescribed Tamiflu when infected by H1N1 makes people scared. The government has been criticized for securing so little when England has secured 60%, France 50%, Japan 30%. Finally, the government has started to secure Tamiflu through investing in a budget. In present circumstances, there is a controversy whether Tamiflu's patent rights should be enforced. Because of patent law, the Ministry of Health and Welfare has taken no measures. Government should guarantee the people's right of health to prepare for the worst, and cannot avoid blame for the people's unease and fear of H1N1.
The second reason is media exaggeration of H1N1. For convenience when they write news, they use the terms 'new kind of flu' instead of naming it formally as 'Influenza A virus subtype H1N1'. The nuance of 'new' gives the impression of power to people.
However, we will learn from this phenomenon. Our citizens' hygiene will be improved. From a culture of washing hands, it will be raised to a culture of disinfecting hands.
According to experts, "human history is a history of fighting infectious diseases. This crisis will lay the basic foundation to establish another leap forward."
September 17th 2009 By reporter Choi Jung-in hakboji@donga.ac.kr
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