Ulsan Flu Cases Surge..."Vaccination is important".

[Anchor]
As the weather gets colder and the number of flu patients increases, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently issued a flu epidemic warning.

In the Ulsan area, the number of patients complaining of suspicious flu symptoms has increased rapidly since December, and hospitals are in full swing.

JCN Ulsan Central Broadcasting Station reporter Park Young-hoon reports.

[Reporter]
a general hospital in Ulsan

The waiting room is full of patients from the morning.

Children wearing masks are also crowded in front of the pediatric and adolescent clinic.

Most of them complain of flu symptoms.

[Suspected flu patient (voice-over): First of all, my throat hurts, but I keep coughing, and maybe because I have a fever, my head hurts....]

In this unusual trend, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a flu epidemic warning nationwide on the 20th.

In fact, the number of suspected flu symptoms has increased sharply nationwide in the past five weeks, reaching 31.3 per 1,000 outpatients as of the third week of December.

The number of suspected flu symptoms in Ulsan also doubled in December, reaching 11.9 per 1,000 people.

Although the number of flu patients has decreased compared to the same period last year, the number of patients is expected to increase further if the flu epidemic continues until January as in previous years.

[Kim Hye-ji / General internal medicine specialist: (The flu) is characterized by a sudden high fever and muscle pain. Cough, runny nose, and sore throat may occur. In the case of the flu, there is a cure, so if you have the symptoms mentioned, visit the hospital immediately and get tested for the flu....]

Most people recover in a week if they develop symptoms of flu infection and receive antiviral treatment within 48 hours, but the most important thing is prevention.

Experts said that flu vaccinations are carried out from autumn every year to spring of the following year, and urged the elderly and immunocompromised, chronic patients and pregnant women to be especially vaccinated.

He also emphasized that it is also important to follow personal hygiene rules such as wearing a mask and washing hands to prevent respiratory diseases during this period.

I'm Park Young-hoon from JCN News.