PHWR Public Health Weekly Report

Vol.15 No.16, April 21, 2022 Article TypeCOVID-19 Special ReportEpidemiology and SurveillanceNoncommunicable Disease StatisticsOriginal Articles

• COVID-19 Special Report 2022-04-21

  0 117 97

  Analysis of viral shedding and positive culture rates of Omicron-confirmed cases according to vaccination status

  Jeong-Min Kim, Dongju Kim, Eun-Jin Kim

  Public Health Weekly Report 2022; 15(16): 1008-1009

  

  

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• Epidemiology and Surveillance 2022-04-21

  0 85 64

  The results of national surveillance and response to the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) patients under investigation (PUIs) cases in the Republic of Korea, 2019-2021

  Seok Kyoung Choi, Jin A Kim , Su Yeon Lee, Jin Gwack

  Public Health Weekly Report 2022; 15(16): 1018-1030

  

  

  Abstract

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  Since the first reported case of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) in Saudi Arabia in 2012, there have been reports of 2,595 confirmed cases and 942 deaths (fatality rate : 20-46%) across 27 countries. In the Republic of Korea (ROK), there was a domestic MERS outbreak with 186 cases in 2015, and one MERS imported case in 2018. This report aimed to describe the 2019-2021 epidemiologic results of national surveillance and response to MERS patients under investigation (PUIs) in the ROK during 2019-2021.
  Findings indicated that, between 2019-2021, a total of 483 PUI cases (14.7%) were reported among 3,294 alleged case reports; 337 PUI cases (13.8%) out of 2,438 in 2019; 128 PUI cases (15.4%) out of 832 in 2020; and 18 PUI cases (75.0%) out of 24 in 2021). Most of the reported cases were of Korean nationality (89.2%), male (58.6%), and individuals in thier 30s (24.0%), with travel histories to the United Arab Emirates (63.1%). Furthermore 87.2% were categorized as having low epidemiological risk. Between 2019-2020, most cases were self-reported to either the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) hot line (1339 call center) (70.4%) or local public health centers (79.0%). On the other hand, in 2021, 54.2% of the PUI cases were reported by quarantine station at the port of entry, and 29.2% were self-reported cases. There were no laboratory confirmed MERS cases for three years between 2019 and 2021. However, there were respiratory viral infection cases reported, such as influenza in 2019-2020 with 32.3% and 38.3%, and SARS-CoV-2 in 2020-2021 with 15.6% and 17.6%, respectively.
  Despite the reduction international travel and global MERS cases due to the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, the systematic surveillance and response at the national level still performs an important role in effective preparedness and rapid response to MERS at a time when there are continuous reports of MERS cases in the Middle East.

• Epidemiology and Surveillance 2022-04-21

  0 158 96

  Analysis of the sputum acid-fast bacillus (AFB) smear positive tuberculosis patients in congregate settings, 2019-2021

  Jieun Kim, Sunmi Han, Yunhyung Kwon, Youmi Kim

  Public Health Weekly Report 2022; 15(16): 1031-1045

  

  

  Abstract

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  Tuberculosis (TB), an infectious disease spread through the air, is known to be highly contagious when the sputum acid-fast bacillus (AFB) smear is positive. AFB smear-positive TB patients in congregate settings such as educational facilities continue to decrease as the numbers of TB patients in the Republic of Korea decrease. In 2021, AFB smear-positive patients decreased by 17.3% compared to 2019, but the decrease was only by 3.0% as compared to 2020. In 2021, the number of TB patients with AFB smear 3+ or higher, which is highly contagious due to a lot of bacteria, slightly increased in educational facilities. Among students with AFB smear 3+ or higher, 53.3% had recent contact with a TB patient, and all had symptoms such as cough and sputum. Patients with symptoms at the time of TB diagnosis were 2.3 times more likely to be smear-positive and 4 times more likely to be smear 3+ or higher than those diagnosed through screening. In particular, the diagnosis rate of symptomatic TB for those aged 20-24 of age and those over 65 years of age were 64.0% and 67.7%, respectively, which was higher than the average diagnosis rate of symptomatic TB(58.3%) for all age groups. This report concluded that preventing TB transmission through regular screening for people in congregate settings and detecting TB in the early stages before symptoms develop are critical steps in the education of TB

• Epidemiology and Surveillance 2022-04-21

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  Results of the 2021-2022 winter cold-related illness surveillance

  Seongwoo Park, Hyoeun Kim, Youngju Lee, JongHee Kim, Yuna Kim

  Public Health Weekly Report 2022; 15(16): 1046-1056

  

  

  Abstract

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  In 2013, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) launched a cold-related illness (CRI) surveillance system. Every winter (December-February), a nationwide network of approximately 492 hospital emergency rooms (ERs) participates in this system. KDCA operates the CRI surveillance system to monitor hypothermia, frostbite, trench foot or immersion foot, and chilblain. According to the hospital reports, 300 people developed CRIs and 9 deaths were attributed to CRI in the 2021-2022 winter season.
  The average temperature in the 2021-2022 season was 0.3℃, similar to the standard normals, and the highest cases of cold disease (20%) occurred in late December.
  Surveillance results showed that the percentage of CRI occurrences was high among males (71.3%), in their 80s(23.7%), the unemployed (39.7%), and drinkers (22.3%). Findings indicated that CRIs occurred mainly between 6 am and 12 pm (37.7%); and the main cause of CRI was hypothermia (77.7%). In terms of location, CRI occurrence was highest at outdoor roadside locations (25.7%) followed by outside the home (nearby residence) (14.7%) and inside the home (12.3%).

• Original Articles 2022-04-21

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  Policy planning for patient dose registry system for computed tomography examination

  Jung Su Kim, Soon Mu Kwon, Pyong Kon Cho, Sang Wook Yoon, Jung Hoon Kim, Jong Won Gil, Byeong Young Lee

  Public Health Weekly Report 2022; 15(16): 1057-1068

  

  

  Abstract

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  In the clinical medical field, modern Computed Tomography (CT) technology has become an essential element in the diagnosis of diseases. As a result, CT technology is used as a tool to overcome unknown diseases. However, CT technology has the duality of high radiation exposure to patients to increase the diagnostic value of clinics. To compensate for this ambivalence, CT device manufacturers developed new technologies related to patient doses, and through standards such as Digital Images and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) and standards of the International Electrotechnical Commission. A procedure was established to standardize the dose exposure information. Based on various standards, the American College of Radiology established a dose information database that collects and stores the exposure dosage of CT scans and collects patient dose information from medical institutions. Accordingly, in the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, through the development of a CT examination patient dose registration model, a basic model for quality control of radiation exposure for safe radiology examination was established. For the stable settlement and expansion of a developed system, it is necessary to introduce a policy incentive system in health insurance and medical institution evaluation items, and through continuous expansion, it will need to expand to various fields such as CT as well as fluoroscopy, angiography, and mammography.

• Noncommunicable Disease Statistics 2022-04-21

  0 61 43

  Trends in prevalence of activity limitations, 2010-2020

  Public Health Weekly Report 2022; 15(16): 1069-1070

  

  

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