South Korea-The pork crisis.
SOUTH KOREA-PORK CRISIS.
The government said yesterday it would run a daily inspection system to prevent an outbreak of the deadly swine flu virus in Korea , which has spread from Mexico to the United States and Canada .
In an interministerial meeting chaired by Prime Minister Han Seung-soo, government officials agreed to hold ministerial and vice-ministerial consultations when necessary to devise further countermeasures for flu virus emergencies.
"The government must be able to take immediate and drastic countermeasures, bracing for the worst scenario," Han said.
The virus, which is usually contracted through direct contact with pigs but can spread through human-to-human transmission, causes flu-like symptoms, including fever, body aches, coughing, sore throat and respiratory problems, according to experts.
What is deemed problematic, however, is that no specific vaccine is available to protect humans against swine flu.
The related government branches agreed to make day-to-day reports on the disease to the Prime Minister’s Office, which is in charge of strengthening national monitoring and increasing vigilance over a possible pandemic.
Han ordered the Ministry for Health, Welfare and Family Affairs to be responsible for operating the flu inspection system and for keeping an observing all travelers departing from and arriving in Korea, as well as collecting all related information from the World Health Organization and other international groups.
The Foreign Ministry will need to notify the government of the current status in the areas where the swine flu virus has been spotted, such as Mexico , the United States and Canada , and the Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries will beef up quarantine measures in pig-farming regions, government officials said.
On Sunday, WHO Director-General Margaret Chan said the outbreak had "pandemic potential," urging governments to step up their surveillance of suspicious outbreaks. The international organization has been holding teleconferences with staff and flu experts around the world regarding the issue.