Why Did Infectious Disease Cases in Gyeonggi-do Surge by 88% Last Year?

The number of infectious disease cases in Gyeonggi Province last year surged by 88% compared to the previous year.

According to the Gyeonggi Province Infectious Disease Control Committee on the 14th, the total number of legally designated infectious disease cases in the province last year was 42,682, an increase of 20,049 cases (88.6%) from 22,633 cases in 2023.

Among the legally designated infectious diseases, 23 types including whooping cough and scarlet fever increased compared to the previous year, while 14 types such as malaria and hepatitis C decreased.

Gyeonggi Province held an Infectious Disease Control Committee meeting on the 14th. Photo by Gyeonggi Province

In particular, whooping cough surged 408 times from 35 cases in 2023 to 14,289 cases last year. Whooping cough is an acute respiratory disease characterized by paroxysmal coughing and is mainly transmitted through droplets when an infected person coughs or sneezes. Infants and young children with weak immunity are at risk of developing severe symptoms if infected.

The Gyeonggi Province Infectious Disease Control Committee held a regular meeting on the day to share this status and decided to conduct weekly video meetings to check infectious disease occurrences in order to strengthen the capabilities and network of infectious disease response personnel.

They also decided to establish a preemptive surveillance system and response capabilities through epidemiological investigator training, crisis management response drills, and training for new and re-emerging infectious disease responses.

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