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Health authorities in Korea are on high alert in the wake of what could be the country's first human case of bird flu. A soldier who had been involved in the culling process of infected poultry is showing symptoms of the deadly disease.
Reportedly suffering from a high fever after destroying avian influenza affected poultry last week, a Korean soldier has been hospitalized in a quarantine ward. The soldier, whose family name is Cho, allegedly had body temperatures of up to 39.8 degrees Celsius, and was in and out of a coma. The high fever dissipated after he was treated with antibiotic and anti-viral drugs.
The Korea Center for Disease Control and Prevention says while Cho's symptoms are those of avian influenza, it's also possible that he might be affected with bacterial pneumonia.
The center added that it would take up to three weeks for them to see what the soldier is suffering from. The center will dose everyone who had contact with Cho in the last couple of days with antiviral drugs and closely monitor them for the next 10 days.
In related news, government officials are discussing ways to prevent the spread of avian influenza to humans. They agreed to speed up the reporting system as immediate quarantine of patients is considered the first priority.
Officials also agreed to expand the procurement of Tamiflu, an antiviral drug used for treating AI. At present, the amount available can treat 1.2 million people, only 2 percent of Korea's total population.
Arirang News
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