Quarantine authorities issue epidemic warning due to rapid increase in influenza cases

(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Kim Young-shin = As the number of influenza (flu) patients has increased unusually rapidly since late summer, quarantine authorities have issued an epidemic advisory.

Last week, the number of suspected flu patients exceeded 3.8 times that of the same period last year, and the number of hospitalized patients reached 13 times. Quarantine authorities have urged people to actively participate in the national vaccination program starting on the 21st, as the epidemic is particularly noticeable among children and adolescents.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency announced that it had issued an influenza epidemic advisory for the 2026-2027 season as of midnight on the 11th.

Previously, on the 8th, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency held a 'joint task force meeting of respiratory infectious disease-related ministries' with the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, Ministry of Health and Welfare, and medical experts to check the domestic influenza outbreak situation and make this decision.

The number of domestic influenza patients has unusually increased since late summer in late August.

According to the results of surveillance of samples of suspected (suspected) influenza patients at a clinic-level medical institution, the proportion of suspected influenza patients in the 36th week of this year (August 30 to September 5) was 25.3 per 1,000 outpatients, exceeding the epidemic standard for this season of 12.9.

It is also 3.8 times higher than the same period last year (6.6 people).

The incidence of influenza is increasing in all age groups, and the epidemic is most noticeable in children and adolescents.

In the 36th week, the number of inpatients at hospital-level sample medical institutions was 300, which is 1.8 times more than the previous week (166 people) and 13 times more than the same period last year (23 people).

The largest age group of hospitalized patients was over 65 years old (60.0%).

The influenza virus detection rate among respiratory patients at clinic-level medical institutions is also increasing at 16.3% (12.3% at 35 weeks).

The main influenza virus prevalent is type A (H1N1) pdm09, which is similar to this season's vaccine strain (the virus used to produce the vaccine recommended by the World Health Organization) and has been confirmed to have no mutations that affect treatment resistance, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency reported.

During the influenza epidemic advisory period, high-risk groups such as children, pregnant women, seniors over 65 years of age, and people with chronic diseases, as well as those who are prescribed antiviral drugs according to the doctor's judgment, are recognized for health insurance treatment benefits without a test.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency will sequentially implement national influenza vaccination starting from the 21st.

Lim Seung-kwan, Director of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, said, "We hope that each target group, including seniors over 65, pregnant women, and children, will be vaccinated according to the schedule. Please follow the rules for preventing respiratory infectious diseases, such as hand washing, cough etiquette, and wearing a mask."

Meanwhile, the number of COVID-19 inpatients at hospital-level specimen surveillance medical institutions at the 36th week was 193, which is less than the same period last year (433), but has been increasing since August.

Hospitalized patients aged 65 or older accounted for 65.3% of the total.

The COVID-19 virus detection rate was 16.3%, an increase from the previous week (11.7%), and the concentration of COVID-19 virus in sewage also shows an increasing trend.

As for the COVID-19 mutant virus, the BA.3.2 mutation was the dominant species from January to July of this year, and the PQ.16.1.1 mutation was the most dominant species in August.

Commissioner Lim said, “This season, we will closely monitor the status of respiratory infectious diseases such as influenza and COVID-19, provide the public with necessary information in a timely manner, and actively prepare and implement countermeasures.”