PHWR Public Health Weekly Report

Vol.18 No.44, November 13, 2025 Article TypeQuickStatsReview & PerspectiveSurveillance Report

• Surveillance Report 2025-11-13

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  Trends and Epidemiological Characteristics of Acute Hepatitis B among Foreign Nationals in the Republic of Korea, 2014–2024

  Seul-Ki Kang , Seunghyun Lewis Kwon , DaeHyun Koh , Jihyeon Lee , Min-soo Kim , Yunsuk Kim , Ayoung Lee , Seung-Hoon Chae , Young Joon Park

  Public Health Weekly Report 2025; 18(44): 1691-1714 https://doi.org/10.56786/PHWR.2025.18.44.1

  

  

  Abstract

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  Objectives: This report compares reporting patterns of acute hepatitis B between Koreans and foreign nationals, focusing on cases reported to Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency’s infectious disease surveillance system from 2014 to 2024. It also describes the general and epidemiologic features of foreign nationals.
  Methods: A total of 3,591 cases (3,287 Koreans and 304 foreign nationals) were analyzed using surveillance and epidemiologic investigation data. Factors such as reporting trends, sex, age group, and geographic distribution were compared between Koreans and foreign nationals. For foreign nationals, countries of origin and socio-demographic, clinical, and epidemiological characteristics were also described.
  Results: Reporting trends, sex, and geographic distribution were similar, whereas age group distribution differed. Koreans were mainly in their 40s–50s (approximately 40%), while foreign nationals were mostly in their 20s–30s (approximately 57%). Approximately 85% of foreign nationals were from Asia, especially China and Vietnam, where hepatitis B prevalence is high. Nearly 40% were unemployed or engaged in manual and low-skilled work. The main symptom was jaundice. Vaccination history was mostly unknown, and language barriers were the major challenge during field investigations.
  Conclusions: Foreign nationals with acute hepatitis B are an important group for public health management, given the increasing number of foreign residents in Republic of Korea. Most are from high-prevalence countries, and limited access to healthcare may lead to under-diagnosis or under-reporting. Moreover, their vaccination history was largely undeterminable, which could pose a significant risk factor. Therefore, improving vaccination coverage for foreign nationals and developing tailored management strategies are warranted.

• Surveillance Report 2025-11-13

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  Pathogen Surveillance in Wastewater from Airport and Port in the Chungcheong Region, Republic of Korea, in 2024

  Youngsil Yoon , Soyeon Kim , Dong Geun Lee , Bo-Ram Kim , Jun Ho Jeon

  Public Health Weekly Report 2025; 18(44): 1715-1732 https://doi.org/10.56786/PHWR.2025.18.44.2

  

  

  Abstract

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  Objectives: This study aimed to analyze the correlation between pathogen detection through wastewater-based infectious disease surveillance at airports and ports in the Chungcheong region and the incidence of corresponding infectious diseases in the local population.
  Methods: Between March and December 2024, 192 wastewater samples were collected from Gunsan Port, Pyeongtaek-Dangjin Port, and Cheongju International Airport. Eight infectious disease pathogens were analyzed using TaqMan Array Card-based multiplex detection. Next-generation sequencing was also conducted on selected samples positive for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) to identify the Omicron sublineages.
  Results: Of the 192 samples, SARS-CoV-2 was detected in 101 (52.6%) and influenza virus in 38 (19.8%). The detection rates were higher at airports (SARS-CoV-2: 72.6%, influenza: 22.6%) than at ports (SARS-CoV-2: 37.0%, influenza: 17.6%). When comparing the monthly detection rates of SARS-CoV-2 and influenza with regional case counts, the SARS-CoV-2 detection rates increased in August and declined in September, showing a similar pattern to the trend in reported cases. In contrast, the influenza virus detection rates in wastewater increased in November, approximately one month earlier than the increase in reported influenza cases observed in December. Sequencing analysis of the SARS-CoV-2 samples identified variants KP.3, JN.1, and XEC, consistent with those reported in domestic patients.
  Conclusions: Wastewater-based surveillance at airports and ports can serve as an effective supplementary tool to symptom-based quarantine systems, enabling the earlier detection and prevention of the domestic spread of imported infectious diseases.

• Review & Perspective 2025-11-13

  0 189 349

  Mitigating the Health Effects of Particulate Matter: A Narrative Review of Intervention Studies

  Saebyeol Kwon , Dong-Wook Lee , Su Mi Chae , Woojin Kim , Myung Ho Lim , Ji Ho Lee , Myung Sook Park , Hwan-Cheol Kim

  Public Health Weekly Report 2025; 18(44): 1733-1775 https://doi.org/10.56786/PHWR.2025.18.44.3

  Abstract

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  Objectives: Particulate matter (PM) is one of the most important air pollutants having harmful health effects. Recently, studies on intervention for mitigating these impacts of PM have been conducted increasingly. This narrative review aims to describe the trends in domestic and international interventions targeting the health effects of PM.
  Methods: A narrative literature review was conducted. Articles published between 1989 and 2024 were retrieved from various academic databases.
  Results: Seventy interventional studies were included, and were categorized into five types: behavioral (n=12), air purifier (n=22), mask (n=5), pharmaceutical and dietary (n=9), and social policy-related (n=22) interventions. Behavioral, air purifier, and mask-wearing interventions improved physiological and symptomatic indicators related to PM exposure. Pharmacological and dietary interventions substantially reduced the effects of PM, although the study designs imposed limitations. Social-policy related interventions reduced population-level health outcomes such as mortality and hospital admissions. Most of these studies were short-term with small samples. These findings highlight the need for sustainable and comprehensive intervention strategies, especially those linked to local public health services.
  Conclusions: Interventions for mitigating the health effects of fine PM are effective in reducing adverse health outcomes. The sustainability of such interventions must be ensured, and these strategies must be linked with policy measures for tangibly reducing the health burden caused by air pollution among the general population.

• QuickStats 2025-11-13

  0 170 35

  Trends in the Prevalence Gap of Diabetes Diagnosis between Cities or Provinces, during 2015-2024

  Hyo-jeong Bae

  Public Health Weekly Report 2025; 18(44): 1776-1777 https://doi.org/10.56786/PHWR.2025.18.44.4

  

  

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