Dysentery Outbreak Created 216 Patients

As `the secondary patients` infected with the bacterial dysentery consecutively have been found, the total dysentery patients amounted yesterday to 216, up by 86 from the previous day.

The National Institute of Health (NIH) said yesterday that 86 new patients were newly confirmed. The new patients include 14 doctors and patients of the Sinchon Severance Hospital, 25 at the Youngdong Severance Hospital, 12 policemen and mobile policemen of Seobu, Unpyong, Seocho, and Seodaemun police stations in Seoul, 16 mobile policemen of Jongno and Junggu police stations in Seoul, 2 high school students of Seoul Unpyong Information High School, 12 physically-challenged persons and nurses at the facility for the physically-challenged in Goyang city, and 1 worker of Seonbi takeout food company.

Including the 12 patients in Goyang city who showed diarrhea symptoms after the volunteer workers of the Sinchon Severance Hospital came for public service on 2nd, and 4 patients of Keunhwa elementary school, Chuncheon city, Gangwon province, 16 patients were believed to be the secondary patients who have contracted from the original patients.

The NIH is paying sharp attention to the hospitalized patients, considering that some patients might have been infected from the secondary patients. The diarrhea patients, whose dysentery infections are yet to be known, are increasing continuously. The additionally diagnosed diarrhea patients include 19 workers of Chosun Hotel, 13 residents of Shindangdong, Jung-Gu, Seoul who visited to the National Museum of Korea, 17 students of the Korea University, 46 workers and patients` family members of the Sinchon Severance Hospital, 80 workers and patients` family members of the Youngdong Severance Hospital, and 33 mobile policemen of the Junggu police station, Jongno-Gu, Seoul.

Meanwhile, Seoul Seodaemun Police Station applied yesterday the arrest warranty on president Baek (45) of S Takeout Business, on suspicion of selling infected food to the hospitals. Baek, who was charged of the negligence of sanitary management and the sales of 7,900 unsanitary lunch boxes, had allowed Lee (52), who had contracted with bacterial dysentery, to work in the kitchen on 30th last month and had used underground water unfit to drink for washing dishes and vegetables.

Moon Chul fullmoon@donga.com