Epidemiological investigation of the 119th confirmed Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus case with an indefinite mode of transmission during the Pyeongtaek outbreak in Korea / 한국역학회지

Since the first case was diagnosed on May 20, 2015, there were 186 confirmed cases of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) until the end of outbreak in South Korea. Although medical institutions were the most identifiable sources of MERS transmission in South Korea, similar to other countries, in-depth epidemiological investigation was required for some confirmed cases with indefinite contact history or hospital visit records. The subject of epidemiological investigation in the present study was a 35 year-old male patient diagnosed with MERS (#119) who lived in Asan-city and worked in Pyeongtaek-city. Various potential sources of transmission were carefully investigated. While he could have been exposed to MERS through a friend from Saudi Arabia or confirmed MERS cases in his workplace, neighboring areas, and medical institutions, as well as contacts in his home, the chances of transmission were low; however, the potential for transmission through his local community could not be excluded. Practically, it was difficult to determine the modes of transmission for all outbreak cases in communicable disease that occurred in this short period of time. The investigation to identify the mode of transmission in this case was ultimately unsuccessful. However, the various data collected and analyzed to reveal modes of transmission provided detailed information that could not be collected using only interview surveys.

The Association between Nonstandard Employment and Suicidal Ideation: Data from the First~Fourth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys / 대한산업의학회지

OBJECTIVES: In light of the high percentage of nonstandard workers and the high suicide rates in South Korea since the 1997 economic crisis, we examined the association between nonstandard employment and suicidal ideation among South Korean employees. METHODS: We analyzed data from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (KNHANES) I, II, III and IV, conducted in 1998, 2001, 2005 and 2007-2009, respectively (13,632 waged workers aged 20-69 years). Employment status was categorized into standard and nonstandard (part-time, temporary and daily) employment. Prevalence ratios (PRs) for self-reported suicidal ideation were compared between nonstandard and standard workers according to each survey wave. RESULTS: After adjusting for background variables, the risk for suicidal ideation was consistently higher among nonstandard workers in every survey wave. In women, the PRs for suicidal ideation of nonstandard workers compared with standard ones were 1.24~1.37 and all of them were statistically significant. In men, those PRs were 1.36~1.52 with (marginal) statistical significance except for the First KNHANES (1998). Because nonstandard employment is closely related to other factors of suicidal ideation, these estimates are unlikely to have been underestimated. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest the impact of employment status on suicidal ideation and the need for further prospective investigation that lead to policies aimed at improving the problematic labor markets.