The number of students with influenza virus at South Korean elementary, middle, and high schools has reached an all-time high this month, prompting the government to advise schools to consider early vacations to prevent the spread of the contagious, seasonal virus.

According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare and Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday, the number of flu patients at elementary, middle, and high schools per 1,000 outpatients reached an all-time high of 152.2 last week from Dec. 11 to 17. It is the highest figure since the government introduced an influenza monitoring system in 1997. The previous high was in 2013-2014 when 115 students aged between 7 and 18 per 1,000 outpatients were infected.

In particular, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education said that 17,825 students from 783 schools in the capital city have been infected with the flu in the first 19 days of December, accounting for 1.7 percent of the total number of students at 1.02 million. Of those infected, a majority of 12,356 students were from elementary school with relatively weaker immune system.

For the past six years, health authorities issued an influenza alert during winter vacations for elementary, middle, and high schools. Influenza, however, spread earlier this year before the start of the winter break.

With no signs of influenza calming, the Ministry of Education has notified each school to consider adjusting its academic calendar if necessary by starting an early vacation to stop the spread of the influenza virus.

The government also plans to temporarily extend the age group of those eligible to receive free influenza vaccine shots. The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that it will apply health insurance to anti-virus shots to students. Currently, insurance is covered only to high-risk people including newborn babies and children under the age of 9, pregnant women, and senior citizens aged 65 years or more.

By Kim Gi-chul

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