PHWR Public Health Weekly Report

Vol.17 No.39, October 10, 2024 Article TypeNotes from the FieldOriginal ArticlesQuickStatsSurveillance Reports

• Original Articles 2024-10-10

  1 354 27

  Current Status of Statistics and Future Improvement Plans on Rare Diseases in Korea - Focusing on 2021 Annual Report on the Rare Disease Patients in Korea -

  Kyounga Lee, Tae-Hyeon Lee, Il-Su Park, Jee-Young Kim, Ji-Hwan Sung, Kyoung-Hwa Choi

  Public Health Weekly Report 2024; 17(39): 1635-1653 https://doi.org/10.56786/PHWR.2024.17.39.1

  

  

  Abstract

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  This study presents statistical methods and findings from the 2021 Annual Report on the Rare Disease Patients in Korea and discusses future improvements. Using data from five institutions, the report tracks rare disease codes and provides statistics on incident cases, deaths, and healthcare utilization. In 2021, 55,874 new rare diseases were reported. Although the scope of rare disease statistics is expanding, further improvements are required. These improvements include creating new statistical indicators, implementing rare disease registration and statistics programs, and proposing an integrated information management system.

• Surveillance Reports 2024-10-10

  1 362 22

  Characteristics of Lyme Disease in Korea between 2019 and 2023

  Dong-Hwi Kim, Ji-hye Hwang, Sl-Ki Lim, Jonghee Kim*

  Public Health Weekly Report 2024; 17(39): 1654-1670 https://doi.org/10.56786/PHWR.2024.17.39.2

  

  

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  Lyme disease is an infectious illness that is transmitted by the bite of a tick infected with the pathogen Borrelia burgdorferi . In the Republic of Korea, the pathogen was isolated from ticks in the early 1990s and has been designated and managed as a statutory infectious disease since 2010. This study analyzed the epidemiological investigation data of 116 patients with Lyme disease reported to the Disease and Health Integrated Management System ( https://is.kdca.go.kr/) from 2019 to 2023 to determine the recent outbreak pattern of Lyme disease. We aimed to determine the epidemiological characteristics. The number of patients with Lyme disease decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic but increased approximately six-fold in 2023 compared with 2021. Most cases of domestic infection (72.4%) occurred between June and November, and were related to various outdoor activities, such as one-time outdoor activities (42.1%) and farm and garden work (40.4%) in summer and fall (72.4%). Lyme disease presents a low fatality rate; however, if it does not receive appropriate treatment in the early stages, it becomes chronic. Therefore, it is important to reduce exposure to ticks to prevent individuals from being bitten during periods of frequent outdoor activities, and prevention and management should be strengthened through active promotion.

• Notes from the Field 2024-10-10

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  Prevalence of Recent COVID-19 Variants and Cell-based Omicron KP.3 Infectivity Analysis

  Jeong-Min Kim, Jin Sun No, Dongju Kim, Ji Yeong Noh, Chae Young Lee, SangHee Woo, Nam-Joo Lee, Jee Eun Rhee, Il-Hwan Kim, Eun-Jin Kim*

  Public Health Weekly Report 2024; 17(39): 1671-1681 https://doi.org/10.56786/PHWR.2024.17.39.3

  

  

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  Since the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in 2019, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) has been conducting genomic surveillance using whole-genome sequencing to monitor SARS-CoV-2 variants in the Republic of Korea (ROK). Since the JN.1 lineage, derived from BA.2.86, was first detected in ROK in November 2023, the proportion of various JN.1 sub-lineages has continued to increase, with KP.3 accounting for 60.9% as of August 2024. In particular, the KP.3 sub-lineages with the highest shares were identified as KP.3.3.1 (22.3%), KP.3.3 (14.0%), and KP.3.1.1 (11.1%). We compared cell-based infectivity and viral replication among recently circulating JN.1, KP.2, and KP.3. KP.3 showed the highest viral shedding rate up to 48 hours, especially at 24 hours, when it was approximately 67 times higher than that of JN.1 and 23 times higher than that of KP.2. Although there was little difference in peak viral replication among JN.1, KP.2, and KP.3, that of KP.3 was approximately 66 and 16 times higher than that of JN.1 and KP.2, respectively, at 24 hours. We hypothesize that the higher initial infectious virus shedding and viral replication of KP.3 compared to those of JN.1 and KP.2 may have contributed to the increase in transmission and cases. The KDCA will continue close monitoring based on whole-genome sequencing to identify the prevalence of variants in ROK, characterize new variants, and provide scientific evidence to guide the COVID-19 response in the country.

• QuickStats 2024-10-10

  0 46 11

  Trends in the Prevalence of High-risk Drinking, during 2013–2022

  Public Health Weekly Report 2024; 17(39): 1682-1683 https://doi.org/10.56786/PHWR.2024.17.39.4

  

  

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