The influenza (flu) outbreak, which peaked in the winter and was subsiding, shows signs of spreading again with the start of the new school semester. In particular, the number of patients is sharply increasing among students, prompting an emergency response from health authorities.
According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency on the 23rd, during the 11th week of this year (March 9-15), the number of flu suspected patients reported by 300 sample medical institutions nationwide was 10.8 per 1,000 outpatients. This figure represents an increase of about 35% compared to the previous week (8.0) and has surpassed the epidemic threshold (8.6 per 1,000) for the first time in 10 weeks.
Last winter, the flu rapidly spread after a warning was issued in December last year, reaching 99.8 per 1,000 in the first week of January, the highest level since 2016. Following that, the number of patients showed a continuous decline, decreasing for nine consecutive weeks, but has recently turned back to an increasing trend.
By age group, the 13-19 year old category, which corresponds to middle and high school students, showed 29.5 per 1,000, while the 7-12 year old group, corresponding to elementary school students, recorded 27.6, significantly higher than any other age group. Notably, the 13-19 age group increased by 84.4% compared to the previous week, and the 7-12 age group also surged by 41.5%, raising concerns about the possibility of cluster infections centered around schools.
Meanwhile, health authorities also urged caution regarding infectious diseases that may spread among children and adolescents, such as chickenpox, mumps, and whooping cough, in addition to the flu.