Gyeonggi Health and Environment Research Institute Strengthens Vibrio Sepsis Surveillance Activities Starting March

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Gyeonggi Province is starting a surveillance project to prevent Vibrio vulnificus infection in advance.

The Gyeonggi-do Institute of Health and Environment announced on the 3rd that it will conduct a surveillance project from March to the end of October in five areas along the western coast of Gyeonggi, including Gimpo, Siheung, Ansan, Hwaseong, and Pyeongtaek, to prevent Vibrio vulnificus infection.

Accordingly, the provincial health and environment institute will collect and test samples from seawater and mudflats, and if Vibrio vulnificus bacteria are detected, notify the relevant city or county to take infection prevention measures.

Since March last year, the institute collected and tested 240 samples from five areas including Gimpo, and detected the first Vibrio vulnificus bacteria at the end of April.

Vibrio vulnificus infection is a Class 3 infectious disease that is mainly found in coastal marine environments such as seawater and mudflats during periods when water temperature rises. Infection can occur by eating contaminated seafood raw or undercooked, or when wounded skin comes into contact with contaminated seawater. Symptoms include fever, low blood pressure, abdominal pain, and diarrhea, and in most cases, skin lesions appear within 24 hours after symptom onset.

Park Yong-bae, director of the provincial Institute of Health and Environment, explained, "For high-risk groups with underlying conditions such as chronic liver disease, alcoholism, and diabetes, the fatality rate can increase up to 50%, so it is important to cook shellfish at temperatures above 85℃ and avoid contact with seawater if you have skin wounds."

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