A second fatality from the H1N1 virus was reported in Korea on Sunday, following the first death from the strain of flu on Saturday. Until now Korea was considered a relatively safe region, as most of the 2,089 people who tested positive for H1N1 infection since May had recovered without displaying any serious symptoms. But now we have become fully exposed to the risks posed by the virus. On Saturday Japan reported its first H1N1 fatality and Taiwan reported its second.

The H1N1 virus has been spreading rapidly this month, with 30 to 60 new infections being reported daily and three out of 10 patients contracting the disease through unknown channels. Health authorities fear the number of infections will rise when the weather gets colder, leading to a larger number of fatalities.

But in both the Korean fatalities physicians either failed to detect the H1N1 virus early on or misdiagnosed, exposing a glaring weakness in their preventive system. The 63-year-old woman who was the second fatality did not get tested for the virus until she was moved to an intensive care unit after visiting several clinics and emergency rooms complaining of breathing problems. Fifteen days passed from when she first visited a clinic showing initial symptoms until she was diagnosed with the virus. The woman suffered from gastritis and high blood pressure and was highly vulnerable to the severe symptoms of H1N1 infection. Her death was a wake-up call for Korea's medical community, instilling a sense of necessity to pay closer attention to high-risk individuals, such as senior citizens, infants and asthma patients.

We urgently need to stock up on vaccines and drugs. But vaccine production will not begin in Korea until the end of October and will not be of much use if the virus spreads rapidly before then. With summer vacation nearing an end, schools must seriously consider aggressive preventive measures in order to stop a possible chain of infections, such as adopting a system of reporting students showing suspicious symptoms and even canceling classes at times if necessary. The H1N1 virus spreads by sneezing and coughing, so personal hygiene, such as washing one's hands regularly, is essential.

The government and health officials must consider administering Tamiflu even to people only under suspicion of H1N1 infection. In England, where 49 people have died and 12,470 others have been infected, health authorities began administering Tamiflu to suspected patients last month. As a result, the rate of infections has declined. The most effective prevention is early detection and treatment. Most small clinics and even major hospitals in Korea have not dealt with H1N1 virus patients until now, so government health authorities need to form teams who can visit different hospitals to spread awareness of the threat.