Regional Distribution of Hepatitis C Virus Infection in the Republic of Korea, 2007-2011

BACKGROUND/AIMS: In Korea, hepatitis C is included as an infectious disease in a sentinel surveillance system. Recently, a large variation in hepatitis C incidence between different regions in Korea has been noticed. The current study verified the nationwide distribution of hepatitis C infection for effective prevention and management. METHODS: We counted the number of hepatitis C patients who visited a hospital per county using the National Health Insurance database from 2007 to 2011. The age-adjusted prevalence ratio was used, and the age adjustment method was used as an indirect standardization method. Disease mapping and spatial analysis were conducted using a geographic information system. RESULTS: The annual prevalence of diagnosed hepatitis C was approximately 0.12% to 0.13% in Korea. The age-adjusted prevalence ratios in Busan, Jeonnam, and Gyeongnam were high (1.75, 1.4, and 1.3, respectively). The three regions in the southern coastal area of the Korean Peninsula were identified as a high-prevalence cluster (Moran's index, 0.3636). CONCLUSIONS: The present study showed that hepatitis C infection has very large regional variation, and there are several high-risk areas. Preventive measures focusing on these areas should be applied to block the transmission of hepatitis C and reduce the disease burden.

Erratum: Addition of a Co-Author

The authors regret that one co-author was missing in the article.

The Long and Short Incubation Periods of Plasmodium vivax Malaria in Korea: The Characteristics and Relating Factors / 감염과화학요법

BACKGROUND: The cases of Plasmodium vivax malaria in Korea are mixed with long and short incubation periods. This study aims to define clinico-epidemiologic chracteristcs of Plasmodium vivax malaria in Korea. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We selected the civilian cases infected with P. vivax malaria in Korea from the epidemiological investigation data of 2001 to 2010, whose incubation periods could be estimated. The long and short incubation periods were defined by duration of infection and onset time, and the cases were compared by demographic factors and clinical symptom, infection and onset time. The correlation was analyzed between the proportion of cases in the infected region with the long incubation period and meteorological factors along with latitude. RESULTS: The length of the mean short and long incubation periods for the cases were 25.5 days and 329.4 days, respectively. The total number of the study subjects was 897, and the number cases of short and long incubation periods was 575 (64.1%) and 322 (35.9%), respectively. The aspect of incubation period showed a significant difference by region of infection; there was a higher proportion of long incubation period infection cases in Gangwon-do than in Gyeonggi-do and Incheon. The proportion of long incubation period cases showed significant correlation with latitude and temperature of August and September of the infected regions. CONCLUSIONS: Incubation period of P. vivax malaria in Korea showed significant difference by infected region, infection and onset time and the proportion of long incubation period cases showed significant correlation with latitude and meteorological factors of the infected regions.

Epidemiological Characteristics of the First Water-Borne Outbreak of Cryptosporidiosis in Seoul, Korea

The first case of human cryptosporidiosis was reported in Korea in 1995; however, an outbreak of Cryptosporidium has not been reported in Korea until now. This paper describes the first outbreak of cryptosporidiosis in Korea. On May 24, 2012, a local public health center filed a report on 126 residents with gastrointestinal symptoms in an old apartment complex in Seoul. Epidemiological investigations were implemented on 125 of the 126 patients. The patients were reported continuously over a period of 22 days. Diarrhea was the most common clinical symptom, and lasted for 5 days on average. The tap water was the only common exposure of the patients. During the environmental investigation it was discovered that the water and septic tanks were situated closely and that the waste water pipes were corroded where they passed over the water pipes. Cryptosporidium parvum was detected in 3 of the 7 stool specimens by PCR-RFLP. A number of Cryptosporidium oocysts were also detected in the water specimens from the water tank. In conclusion, Cryptosporidium parvum was the key causal pathogen of this outbreak. It is presumed that the tap water was contaminated by a sewage leak from the aged pipelines.