Gyeonggi Health and Environment Research Institute Launches Early Surveillance for Vibrio Sepsis

Gyeonggi-do Institute of Health and Environment

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Gyeonggi Province will implement an environmental surveillance project for Vibrio vulnificus starting this month.

Vibrio vulnificus is a Class 3 legally designated infectious disease with an average of about 50 patients nationwide annually from 2015 to 2018, and has a fatality rate of up to 50%. It is known to be contracted by consuming contaminated seafood raw or through contact of contaminated seawater with wounds.

The Gyeonggi Provincial Institute of Health and Environment announced on the 12th that it will start the Vibrio vulnificus environmental surveillance project early from March this year, following last year.

This is a preemptive measure due to the earlier occurrence of Vibrio vulnificus infections caused by rising seawater temperatures from global warming. This year, the first Vibrio vulnificus patient was reported in Bucheon in January.

The project targets five coastal fishing ports adjacent to the West Sea: Gimpo Daemyeong Port, Hwaseong Jeongok Port, Siheung Wolgot, Ansan Tando Port, and Pyeongtaek Port.

The Institute collects samples from seawater, tidal flats, and shellfish to conduct genetic and biochemical tests. Once Vibrio vulnificus is detected, the relevant city or county sanitation department is immediately notified to take follow-up measures.

Yoon Mi-hye, director of the Institute, said, "Due to warm weather, Vibrio vulnificus was isolated from seawater in Jeollanam-do and Jeju Island even in January, the middle of winter, and especially this January, a patient occurred in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, so caution is required. Please make sure to cook seafood or shellfish thoroughly at temperatures above 85 degrees Celsius, use running tap water instead of seawater when handling shellfish, and be careful not to get wounds."

Meanwhile, the Institute conducted a total of 213 tests last year, including 92 seawater samples, 33 tidal flat samples, and 55 shellfish samples, detecting 16 cases of Vibrio vulnificus.

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