PHWR Public Health Weekly Report

Vol.15 No.23, June 09, 2022 Article TypeEpidemiology and SurveillanceNoncommunicable Disease Statistics

• Epidemiology and Surveillance 2022-06-09

  0 194 76

  Surveillance of tick density in the Republic of Korea, 2021

  Byung-Eon Noh, Jung-Won Ju, Hee il Lee

  Public Health Weekly Report 2022; 15(23): 1596-1605

  

  

  Abstract

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  Ticks are infectious agent vectors that transmit various pathogens such as viruses, bacteria, rickettsia and parasites. Tick-borne diseases in the Republic of Korea (ROK) include severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS), Lyme disease, tick-borne encephalitis (TBE), arthropod-associated bacteria and parasites. To prevent the spread of tick-borne diseases, a nationwide surveillance of ticks was monitored from April to November, at 16 regions and 4 environments (graves, grasslands, copses, and mountain roads) with 16 centers for vector surveillance in climate change and investigated in 2021. In this monitoring, 67,540 ticks, comprising three genera and five species, were collected. The results that Haemaphysalis longicornis was the most predominant species at all collection sites (97.3%). Successively, H. flava ranked second at 716, (2.3%), followed by Amblyomma testudinarium (55, 0.2%), Ixodes nipponensis (33, 0.1%) and H. japonica (10, <0.1%). In terms of environmental density, 26,676 ticks were collected in grasslands (39.5%), following 17,108 ticks at copses sites (25.3%), 13,580 ticks in mountain roads (20.1%), and 10,176 ticks on graves (15.1%). Tick density (Trap Index, T.I; No, of collected tick/trap) in 2021 increased by 6.6% campared to 2020 and decreased by 21.9% compared to average of last 5 years. As tick-borne diseases increase in the ROK, continuous surveillance of geologicall and climatic factors is critical for public health. Therefore, this study recommended to analyze the distribution and ecology of ticks and to understand the epidemiology of tick-borne diseases and its risk to public health in the ROK

• Epidemiology and Surveillance 2022-06-09

  0 94 56

  Evidence-based mosquito control in the public health center with digital mosquito monitoring system (DMS)

  Chang-Won Jang, Hyunwoo Kim, Gi-Hun Kim, Sun-Ran Cho, Hee-Il Lee

  Public Health Weekly Report 2022; 15(23): 1606-1614

  

  

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  Public health centers in cities and provinces across Korea carry out control activities in various ways to reduce the density of mosquito vectors, but most public health centers routinely and periodically performed. In this study, a daily digital mosquito monitoring system (DMS) was used to switch from periodic control to evidence-based selective mosquito control. For the surveillance area, mosquito habitats within a radius of 100 m were investigated centered on four DMS points installed near the Seobuk-gu public health center in Cheonan. As a result, the number of mosquito controls decreased by 69.0% (29 times → 9 times) on average, and the total number of mosquito complaints decreased by 41.5% (41 cases → 24 cases) compared to the previous year. Therefore, it was confirmed that controls based on mosquito outbreak information using DMS is a method to achieve the original purpose of control by reducing infectious disease vectors while reducing the control burden on public health centers. By applying these results to various areas, it is intended to implement environmentally friendly control by minimizing the use of pesticides.

• Epidemiology and Surveillance 2022-06-09

  0 260 89

  Animal Bites and Rabies Case Surveillance in the Republic of Korea, 2021

  Ji-Yeon Lee, Jeong-Ran Kwon, Een-Suk Shin, Ho-Sung Lee, Kyung-Won Hwang

  Public Health Weekly Report 2022; 15(23): 1615-1622

  

  

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  According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 3 billion people live in dog-mediated rabies endemic areas. Stray dogs are the most common transmitter of the rabies virus, with 99% of human deaths caused by dog-mediated rabies. Despite goals to eradicate dog-mediated rabies worldwide, the virus remains an under-reported neglected zoonosis with a case-fatality rate of almost 100% in humans and animals. Although 100% preventable, dog-mediated rabies causes tens of thousands of human deaths. However, due to the Republic of Korea’s (ROK) eradication efforts, there have not been any confirmed cases of human rabies since 2005. Nevertheless, animal bite patients have been reported due to an increase in outdoor activities and international travel. Since 2011, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) has enhanced the National Animal Bite Patient Surveillance (NABPS) to effectively monitor animal-associated bite incidents. The aim of this report was to analyze the KDCA’s 2021 animal bite and rabies surveillance. Findings indicated that the numbers of animal bite cases increased from 359 in 2005 to 670 in 2019, but it was estimated that the number decreased to 130 in 2021 because of COVID-19, which limited people’s domestic and, international travel and because of Korea’s dog leash promotion. This report analyzed characteristics of animal bite cases recorded on the NABPS system from January 1 to December 31, 2021. Among the 130 cases reported in 2021, males (51.0%) had a higher incidence of animal bites than females (49.0%) and the highest incidence of animal bites was observed in the 60-69 years of age group (20.7%). By time, the higher proportion of bite incidents occurred May (15.3%). Also, the geographical frequency was the highest in Gangwon Province (63.1%). Lastly, at 80.7%, domestic dogs were the most common biting animal. To minimize the risk of animal bites and rabies, it is essential that the ROK maintain its rabies-free status through an enhanced national rabies control program.

• Epidemiology and Surveillance 2022-06-09

  0 280 216

  Dietary habits among Korean population

  Sungha Yun, Kyungwon Oh

  Public Health Weekly Report 2022; 15(23): 1623-1632

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  The objective of this study was to identify the changes dietary habits among Korean population due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic. We analyzed using data of the 2011-2020 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.
  As a result of the analysis, the proportion of skipping breakfast and lunch significantly increased after the COVID-19 outbreak. On the other hand, the proportion of eating out more than once a day significantly decreased due to a decrease in food intake from cafeterias of school or company and restaurants. Also, the proportion of lunches and dinners with people other than the family decreased.
  Continuous changes in dietary habits affect food and nutrient intake, and this can lead to changes in health status, so continuous monitoring and efforts to improve dietary habits are required.

• Noncommunicable Disease Statistics 2022-06-09

  0 64 36

  Trend in rate of limited oral function, 2011-2020

  Public Health Weekly Report 2022; 15(23): 1633-1634

  

  

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