"To Prevent the Spread of Influenza"... Jeonnam Province Launches 'Mask Wearing Participation' Campaign

Intensive Campaign from the 15th to the 30th
Request to Refrain from Hospital Visits Ahead of Lunar New Year

Jeonnam Province has launched a 'Mask Wearing Participation' campaign for all residents as the number of flu patients and respiratory infectious diseases has recently surged.

The campaign will be focused from the 15th until the end of the Lunar New Year holiday on the 30th.

Through the campaign, Jeonnam Province encourages residents to wear masks in the following situations: ▲ when visiting multi-use facilities such as medical institutions, supermarkets, and academies ▲ when using public transportation such as buses and taxis ▲ when visiting facilities vulnerable to infection such as nursing hospitals and nursing homes.

Jeonnam Province will launch a mask-wearing campaign targeting all residents to prevent the rapid spread of influenza. Photo by Jeonnam Province

In December, the province distributed 119,000 quarantine supplies including masks, and has now provided an additional 70,000 masks.

The currently prevalent flu consists of two types (H1N1 and H3N2). The number of suspected influenza patients, which has been on the rise since the third week of December, reached 122 in the first week of January, an increase of 1.2 times compared to the previous week.

By age group, those aged 7 to 12 accounted for 25%, the highest proportion, followed by those aged 19 to 49 at 20%, and those aged 13 to 18 at 19%, indicating that the flu is more common among the more active age groups.

Accordingly, on the 13th, Jeonnam Province held an emergency video conference with city and county health centers to share information on the occurrence of respiratory infectious diseases such as influenza and the status of vaccinations, and to discuss preventive measures as part of proactive preemptive actions.

In addition, the province decided to actively carry out vaccinations not only for unvaccinated high-risk groups but also for staff at medical institutions and facilities vulnerable to infection.

In particular, to coincide with the Lunar New Year, the province designated the period from the 15th to the 24th as a week to promote refraining from hospital visits, aiming to strengthen the prevention of respiratory infectious diseases in medical institutions.

Lee Sangsim, Director of Health and Welfare for Jeonnam Province, said, "If you experience abnormal symptoms such as high fever or sore throat, you should visit a nearby medical institution for timely treatment," and urged, "Please participate in wearing masks to prevent flu and other respiratory infectious diseases during the Lunar New Year holiday period."