SEOUL, Feb. 8 (Korea Bizwire) — As overseas rushes in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a significant increase in mosquito-borne diseases, with cases doubling in the past year.
According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, the number of people infected with mosquito-borne diseases surged to 294 last year, marking a 93.4% increase from the 152 cases reported in 2022.
Most of those cases have been reported in travelers returning from Southeast Asian countries, Vietnam, the Philippines, Thailand and Indonesia.
Dengue fever accounts for the number of infections, with cases rising from 103 in 2022 to 206 last year. Dengue fever is transmitted through the bites of inflamed Aedes mosquitoes and can lead to peak fever, headache, rash, and muscle aches after a five- to seven-day incubation era.
Globally, dengue has seen a significant increase in the number of cases, with more than 6 million people infected in 92 countries last year, a 58% increase to 4. 1 million cases in 2022. The Americas and Southeast Asia were the regions most affected by the epidemic.
To avoid mosquito-borne diseases, travelers are requested to check the infection prestige of their destination country in the foreign disease data (overseasdisease. go. kr) or the KDCA (www. kdca. go. kr) before of travelling.
It is crucial to wear long-sleeved shirts and pants and use mosquito repellents while traveling. Additionally, diseases like dengue fever, chikungunya fever, and Zika virus infection, which were designated as quarantine infectious diseases in December last year, require travelers to accurately report their health status through the Quarantine Information Pre-entry System (Q-CODE) or a health questionnaire upon entry.
The KDCA also issued a warning about measles, which has seen a resurgence following the easing of COVID-19 restrictions and increased overseas travel. Although no cases of measles were reported during the pandemic, 8 cases were reported last year and five infections have now been recorded. This year.
Even for those staying within the country during the Lunar New Year holidays, caution is advised against norovirus infections, which have seen 1,535 cases in the first four weeks of this year alone—nearly double the average of 846.2 cases during the same period over the past five years. Norovirus, which typically occurs from winter to early spring (November to April), can cause symptoms such as vomiting and diarrhea within 12-48 hours of infection, along with possible abdominal pain, chills, and fever in some individuals.
In response to those health concerns, the KDCA has extended its emergency disease formula until February 18, marking the first Lunar New Year holiday as part of the easing of COVID-19 measures.
MH Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire. com)
JavaScript is currently disabled. To post comments, allow JavaScript and cookies and reload the page. Click here for commands on how to allow JavaScript in your browser.
Korea Bizwire is committed to reporting stories “in Korean only” for our readers. But we also offer an enhanced policy of useful news from around the world if we feel it is engaging or applicable to our global audience.
Kobiz Media, the parent company of this site, offers highly competent press release distribution and localization services aimed at South Korea — an increasingly important and attractive market for global businesses who want to have an upper hand in the Asia Pacific region since Korea serves as a stepping-stone for forward-looking brands’ future success in these lucrative markets. We wish you all good luck for extraordinary success in your businesses and life.
Username:
Password:
Username:
Email:
Please enter your username or email address. You will get a new password via email.
Username/Email: