Pregnant Woman Suspected of Contracting Flu A
Reported June 01, 2009
A 32-year-old pregnant woman is suspected of having contracted the H1N1 influenza A virus.
According to the Ministry for Health, Welfare and Family Affairs, Monday, the woman was hospitalized last week after her 18-month-old child was confirmed to be carrying the disease following a trip to New York.
A ministry official said the woman is highly likely to be diagnosed with the disease.
There are concerns over whether she should be given Tamiflu, with medication restricted during pregnancy.
It is the first time a pregnant woman has been suspected of contracting the virus in Korea.
Although the woman has refused to take medication over fears for the safety of her unborn child, Jeon Byeong-ryul, an official at the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Management, said she would likely take the medicine.
“According to past reports, those who didn’t have a vaccination or antiviral drugs during Spanish Flu or other pandemic disease outbreaks were more likely to give birth prematurely or miscarry,” he said.
The number of patients in Korea totaled 39 as of Monday. The administration has developed a string of measures to deal with overseas Koreans or foreigners arriving as possible carriers of the virus.
Since it is summer vacation time, the Office of the Prime Minister advised Korean students staying overseas to seek treatment at local hospitals in their respective countries and fully recover before returning to Korea.
The Consulate General in New York asked Korean Air and Asiana Airlines to waive the $100 reservation change charge to ease the burden on people who need treatment overseas.
It also asked private English education institutes, or hagwon, to allow teachers who arrive from foreign countries to start classes seven days after arrival in case they have contracted the flu virus.
Universities holding summer schools and welcoming foreign students have also been asked to take extra care.
Source : The Korea Times
