Disease Control Agency: "First Japanese Encephalitis Case This Year in Gyeonggi-do... Urgent Caution Advised"

Local governments are conducting Japanese encephalitis mosquito control operations.

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heung-soon] The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency recently confirmed the first Japanese encephalitis cases of the year in Gyeonggi Province and has urged caution.

According to the agency on the 16th, a woman in her 70s and a woman in her 60s residing in Icheon, Gyeonggi, and a man in his 50s living in Siheung, Gyeonggi, were identified as Japanese encephalitis patients. The woman in her 60s was confirmed positive on the 14th, while the other two were classified as suspected cases.

They were hospitalized last month with symptoms of encephalitis such as fever and decreased consciousness and received treatment. Risk factors such as domestic travel history or proximity to pig farms near their residences were identified. Among them, two showed improvement in symptoms, and the man in his 50s is currently under epidemiological investigation.

The "Culex tritaeniorhynchus" mosquito, which transmits Japanese encephalitis, inhabits rice paddies, animal barns, puddles, and mainly feeds at night. The vector mosquito is generally first detected in southern regions (Jeju, Busan, Gyeongnam, etc.) in April and is observed throughout South Korea. The density of vector mosquitoes increases from July to September and they appear until the end of October.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency explained, "Most people bitten by mosquitoes carrying the Japanese encephalitis virus are asymptomatic, but clinical symptoms appear in about one in 250 cases," adding, "It can progress to fatal acute encephalitis, with 20-30% of those affected potentially dying."

They further stated, "There is an effective preventive vaccine for Japanese encephalitis, and all children eligible for national immunization support are recommended to complete vaccination according to the standard immunization schedule." They added, "For adults, vaccination is recommended for those living in high-risk areas where Japanese encephalitis vector mosquitoes are prevalent, such as near rice paddies or pig farms, and for adults without prior Japanese encephalitis vaccination who plan to travel to countries where Japanese encephalitis is endemic."

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