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The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recently requested that residents and visitors in malaria risk areas (Incheon, Gyeonggi-do/Gangwon-do) observe precautionary measures and be careful of infection as the number of malaria cases is rapidly increasing.
From January 1 – June 10, the number of malaria patients totaled 173, an increase of 120 (3.3 times) compared to the previous year (53). 137 cases are considered domestic, while 36 cases are classified as imported.
The 137 local cases is a three-fold increase from the previous year (46), of which 78.1% were civilians and 21.9% were soldiers. By region, the number of patients occurred in the order of Gyeonggi (67.2%), Incheon (10.9%), Seoul (10.2%), and Gangwon (5.1%). Incheon (Ganghwa-gun) and Gangwon (Cheorwon-gun) appeared in that order.
The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) introduced malaria cluster cases and city/province warning systems from this year in order to block the spread of malaria at an early stage. By real-time monitoring of estimated cluster cases centered on cities and provinces, intensive management of radio wave risk areas is strengthened, and among them, when an estimated cluster case of 3 or more people in each city or province occurs for the first time, an alert is issued in the relevant city or province.
So far, a total of 10 cases (9 cases in Gyeonggi Province and 1 case in Seoul) have occurred, and among them, a ‘malaria alert’ was issued on June 1st by Gyeonggi-do for Paju and Gimpo-si, where three or more estimated cluster cases occurred.
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The number of imported malaria cases increased by 5.1 times from the previous year (7 cases) to 36 cases, most of which were tropical malaria imported mainly from the African continent such as South Sudan, Cameroon, and Uganda. In the case of falciparum malaria, infection can progress to severe severity, and prompt treatment has a decisive effect on the prognosis, so special attention should be paid to prevention and treatment.
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease transmitted by bites of mosquitoes infected with the Plasmodium parasite. More than 90% of the total patients occur between April and October, when mosquitoes are active.
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