Asymptomatic Entrants with 'Wuhan Pneumonia' Detected Again... Movement Routes and Contacts Being Traced

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Among the four confirmed cases of 'Wuhan pneumonia' in South Korea, two were found to be asymptomatic upon entry, raising concerns about the spread of infection within the community. It has been confirmed that these individuals engaged in community activities, including visiting medical institutions, prompting health authorities to focus on managing and identifying their contacts.

According to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) on the 27th, two of the four confirmed patients had no respiratory symptoms such as fever or cough at the time of entry into the country. The first and second patients, who were identified earlier, had mild symptoms upon entry and were classified at the airport as 'symptomatic individuals under investigation' and 'active monitoring subjects,' respectively.

However, the third and fourth patients showed no symptoms upon entry and only developed fever and other symptoms after returning to the community. Notably, the fourth patient visited hospitals twice?once on the 21st with a cold and again on the 25th with a high fever?after entering the country on the 20th, but was not detected. This patient was classified as a symptomatic individual under investigation and isolated in a nationally designated inpatient treatment bed on the 26th, which was seven days after entry and six days after cold symptoms appeared on the 21st.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Consequently, there are concerns about virus transmission among contacts. Health authorities are expected to identify and actively monitor individuals who had contact with the patients during this period. Experts expressed regret that the fourth patient was not referred to the screening clinic system at the medical institutions visited after symptom onset but also stated that concerns about 'asymptomatic latent patients transmitting the virus,' as reported in China, may be excessive. On the 26th, Ma Xiaowei, Director of the National Health Commission of China, stated regarding the novel coronavirus, "Unlike SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome), it appears to be contagious even during the incubation period."

Generally, respiratory virus infections are transmitted when symptoms such as coughing are present. Due to the characteristics of coronaviruses, 'droplet (saliva droplet)' transmission is considered the most likely mode for Wuhan pneumonia. This means that even if the virus is present in mild or asymptomatic cases, the transmission potential is very low. However, close contacts such as family members or healthcare workers may have been exposed to the virus.

The KCDC is currently conducting an in-depth epidemiological investigation to identify the movement paths and contacts of the fourth patient. The situation will be shared as soon as the investigation results are available.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.