South Korea, Philippines fight A/H1N1

Many countries are taking measures to fight the latest round of A/H1N1 outbursts. South Korea began administering the country's first locally developed vaccine, and the Philippines strengthened it's monitoring of travellers on the islands.

South Korea plans to vaccinate about 17 million people, which is 35 percent of the population, between now and next February. Hospital staff are among the first to receive the new vaccine.

The Health and Welfare Ministry says the A/H1N1 flu is spreading fast, but the fatality rate is the same as or lower than that of seasonal flu. Three South Koreans infected with the A/H1N1 virus had died on Tuesday, exact cause of their deaths is still under investigation.

Kim Dae-Ki, Second Vice Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said, "The Health Minister decided the designated hospitals should mainly focus on treatment of the infection. He enabled neighborhood clinics and hospitals to immediately administer the anti-virus treatment to patients with a high fever or suspected flu patients, from now on, starting yesterday."

Meanwhile authorities at Manila's international airport were on heightened alert on Tuesday following the United States' declaration of a national emergency with regard to the A/H1N1 flu outbreak.

Noel Ramirez, Quarantine Medical Officer, said, "In the light of this new news regarding the recurrence of A/H1N1, our health personnel at the airport are on a heightened alert so as to prevent the entry of illnesses, particularly those coming from affected countries."

All passengers must allow a check of their body temperature and provide contact information to authorities should an individual belonging to a particular batch tests positive for the A/H1N1 influenza.