First Case of Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome Reported in Jeju This Year

50s Patient Confirmed After Emergency Room Visit Due to Body Aches Following Garden Work

Seek Medical Care Within 2 Weeks of Outdoor Activities If High Fever, Vomiting Occur... Strictly Follow Prevention Guidelines Urged

Jeju Special Self-Governing Province urged residents to follow preventive measures such as wearing long clothes during outdoor activities and taking a bath and changing clothes after going out, following the occurrence of the first case of Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome (SFTS) in the province this year.

According to Jeju Province on the 2nd, the first patient this year is Ms. A (female, 54), residing in Jeju City, who has a history of outdoor activities such as working in a vegetable garden.

Since April 19, she experienced symptoms of body aches and swelling at the back of the neck and received treatment at a private clinic, but as the symptoms did not improve, she underwent an SFTS test at a hospital emergency room and was finally confirmed positive by the Jeju Health and Environment Research Institute on April 27.

The ticks that transmit SFTS mainly inhabit forests, ranches, and grasslands and are distributed nationwide. Due to the environmental characteristics of Jeju, where outdoor activities such as bracken harvesting and oreum (volcanic cone) hiking are easy in spring, cases occur continuously every year.

Jeju Province currently operates a patient surveillance system through public health centers and medical institutions to prevent tick-borne infectious diseases such as SFTS.

In addition, through public health centers, education on the prevention of tick-borne infectious diseases is being conducted for local residents, and promotional campaigns urging compliance with preventive measures and caution are underway using the exterior walls of 33 city and intercity buses.

Kang Dong-won, Director of the Jeju Province Resident Safety and Health Office, said, “SFTS is an infectious disease with no treatment or preventive vaccine and has a high fatality rate, so it is most important to avoid tick bites.”

He added, “We ask that people follow preventive measures such as wearing long sleeves and long pants during farming and outdoor activities, and if high fever or gastrointestinal symptoms appear within two weeks after outdoor activities, visit a medical institution immediately, inform them of your outdoor activity history, and receive medical care.”

Jeju = Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Park Chang-won baekok@asiae.co.kr

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