South Korea plans to vaccinate 10 million people against influenza A by the end of this year to stem the rapid spread of the disease that has so far claimed three lives in the country.
Health and Welfare Minister Jeon Jae-hee said of the 13.3 million people, including young children and pregnant women, who are most at risk, about 75 percent will be vaccinated by December.
She said Seoul has contacted Britain's GlaxoSmithKline and secured an order for 10 million doses of an anti-viral vaccine, with more to be bought next year.
Jeon said full-scale vaccinations will begin in November with 27 percent of the country's 48 million population to receive protection by February 2010.
Authorities said that medical and quarantine personnel, people suffering from various diseases that inhibit the body's immune systems, young children, pregnant women, students and soldiers are most exposed to the new strain of the flu that have affected most countries in the world.
Jeon also said that South Korea plans to stockpile its Tamiflu reserve so it can treat 10 million people at any given time.
The government said it will expand the emergency influenza response team from 15 dedicated personnel to 29. The team will be staffed by officials from the health, education and science, public administration, labor and culture ministries.
South Korea reported its third death from influenza A Thursday, raising fears that the country may see an escalating number of victims of the contagious disease that is spreading rapidly worldwide.
The victim, whose identity was withheld, is a man in his 60s living in Seoul, health authorities said. He checked into a university hospital in Seoul on Monday for symptoms of pneumonia. He was being treated for the illness but then died of blood poisoning shock.
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