The South Korean government said Tuesday that it will spend 18.4 billion won (US$14.6 million) to support efforts to fight against the spread of Influenza A.

According to the Ministry of Strategy and Finance, 4.2 billion won (US$3.3 million) will be spent on tightening quarantine on inbound travelers and 9.2 billion won (US$7.3 million) to diagnose and treat people infected with the virus.

Around 5 billion won (US$4 million) will be used to enhance people's awareness of the disease, the ministry said.

The ministry added that about 200 more staff will be dispatched at airports and seaports across the nation, equipped with additional heat-detecting cameras and other diagnosis equipment.

The decision came amid the confirmed cases of the H1N1 virus growing sharply in South Korea over the past few days, soaring to 27 from four in some four days.

(Xinhua News Agency May 26, 2009)