First Japanese Encephalitis Case This Year... "One Month Earlier Than Last Year"

40s Woman Living in Sejong City... KDCA "Epidemiological Investigation Underway"

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Ji-hee] The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency has urged the public to be especially cautious to avoid mosquito bites following the occurrence of the first domestic Japanese encephalitis case this year.

The confirmed Japanese encephalitis patient is a woman in her 40s residing in Sejong City. She had no underlying conditions other than an ovarian cyst and had not received the Japanese encephalitis vaccination. The place of infection may not be Sejong City, where the patient lives, and an epidemiological investigation is currently underway.

This patient is the first case since the Japanese encephalitis advisory (March 22) and alert (August 5) were issued this year. Last year, the first case appeared on October 8, more than a month later than this year.

The patient was hospitalized from the 17th of this month due to symptoms such as fever, muscle pain, and vomiting, and was reported as a suspected Japanese encephalitis case at a medical institution on the 20th. After two tests conducted by the Sejong City Health and Environment Research Institute and the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, the diagnosis was finally confirmed the day before yesterday.

Japanese encephalitis can be transmitted through bites from the small red house mosquito carrying the virus. Clinical symptoms occur in about 1 in 250 people, and some cases progress to fatal acute encephalitis. In such cases, 20-30% of patients die, and 30-50% of survivors suffer neurological, cognitive, and behavioral sequelae.

Therefore, children aged 12 months to 12 years, who are eligible for the national Japanese encephalitis vaccination program, are advised to receive vaccinations according to the standard immunization schedule.

More than 90% of Japanese encephalitis cases in the past 10 years have been in people aged 40 and above. Adults who live in high-risk areas with many Japanese encephalitis vector mosquitoes or plan to travel to countries where Japanese encephalitis is prevalent and who have no history of Japanese encephalitis vaccination are recommended to get vaccinated. Countries with Japanese encephalitis outbreaks include Australia, Bangladesh, Brunei, Myanmar, Cambodia, China, Guam, India, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, Nepal, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Russia, Saipan, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, and Timor-Leste. Adults must pay for the vaccination.

A Disease Control official stated, "Since over 97% of all cases occur between August and November, please adhere to mosquito avoidance and control measures during outdoor activities and at home," adding, "We also plan to request additional focused disinfection of mosquito habitats such as livestock farms and water puddles from local governments nationwide."

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