Seoul, May 2 (Inditop) South Korea Saturday reported its first human case of swine flu, a nun who had recently travelled to Mexico – taking to four swine-flu infection in Asia after one was confirmed in Hong Kong and two in Israel.
The 51-year-old has been isolated in hospital since Tuesday after displaying flu symptoms after her return a week ago from the country worst-hit by the virus, the Korea Centre for Disease Control and Prevention said.
The infection caused fear to grow that the influenza A(H1N1) virus could quickly be spread from human to human in South Korea. A 44-year-old woman who lives with the sick nun is being examined on suspicions that she too could have been infected.
According to statistics released by the World Health Organisation (WHO) late Friday before South Korea’s report of its first infection, 367 cases had been reported in 13 countries. Mexico has the highest number at 156 infections and nine deaths, followed by the US at 141 infections and one death.
The other governments reporting infections are Canada, Spain, Britain, New Zealand, Germany, Austria, Denmark, the Netherlands and Switzerland.
rounak