• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.48 no.6
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• pp.265-270
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• 2015

The recent Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) outbreak has originated from a failure in the national quarantine system in the Republic of Korea as most basic role of protecting the safety and lives of its citizens. Furthermore, a number of the Korean healthcare system's weaknesses seem to have been completely exposed. The MERS-CoV outbreak can be considered a typical public health crisis in that the public was not only greatly terrorized by the actual fear of the disease, but also experienced a great impact to their daily lives, all in a short period of time. Preparedness for and an appropriate response to a public health crisis require comprehensive systematic public healthcare measures to address risks comprehensively with an all-hazards approach. Consequently, discussion regarding establishment of post-MERS-CoV improvement measures must focus on the total reform of the national quarantine system and strengthening of the public health infrastructure. In addition, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention must implement specific strategies of action including taking on the role of "control tower" in a public health emergency, training of Field Epidemic Intelligence Service officers, establishment of collaborative governance between central and local governments for infection prevention and control, strengthening the roles and capabilities of community-based public hospitals, and development of nationwide crisis communication methods.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.1-10
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• 1979

In order to investigate the causes of epidemic out break of rice blast disease in 1978, investigations were undertaken in respect of climatic conditions, variety, cultural practice and plant pathology. During 1978, especially in August at heading time, it was higher temperature and humidity, higher frequency and amount of rainfall, lower amount of sunshine and solar radiation than less blast infested years. Nitrogen content in rice plant was higher than previous years. Acreage increase of semi-dwarf varieties brought about a result of proportional increase of new blast races which are able to infect the semi-dwarf varieties. It was concluded that those conditions mentioned above might have caused the result of severe neck blast disease in rice varieties in Korea, 1978.

• 대한예방의학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2000.10a
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• pp.89-89
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• 2000

• International Journal of Internet, Broadcasting and Communication
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.98-108
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• 2022

In this study, social network analysis was performed to compare and analyze changes in domestic tourism trends before and after the outbreak of COVID-19 in a situation where the damage to the tourism industry due to COVID-19 is increasing. Using Textom, a big data analysis service, data were collected using the keywords "travel destination" and "travel trend" based on the collection period of 2019 and 2020, when the epidemic spread to the world and became chaotic. After extracting a total of 80 key words through text mining, centrality was analyzed using NetDraw of Ucinet6, and clustered into 4 groups through CONCOR analysis. Through this, we compared and analyzed changes in domestic tourism trends before and after the outbreak of COVID-19, and it is judged to provide basic data for tourism marketing strategies and tourism product development in the post-COVID-19.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.45 no.5
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• pp.277-282
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• 2012

Field epidemiology involves the implementation of quick and targeted public health interventions with the aid of epidemiological methods. In this article, we share our practical experiences in outbreak management and in safeguarding the population against novel diseases. Given that cities represent the financial nexuses of the global economy, global health security necessitates the safeguard of cities against epidemic diseases. Singapore's public health landscape has undergone a systemic and irreversible shift with global connectivity, rapid urbanization, ecological change, increased affluence, as well as shifting demographic patterns over the past two decades. Concomitantly, the threat of epidemics, ranging from severe acute respiratory syndrome and influenza A (H1N1) to the resurgence of vector-borne diseases as well as the rise of modern lifestyle-related outbreaks, have worsened difficulties in safeguarding public health amidst much elusiveness and unpredictability. One critical factor that has helped the country overcome these innate and man-made public health vulnerabilities is the development of a resilient field epidemiology service, which includes our enhancement of surveillance and response capacities for outbreak management, and investment in public health leadership. We offer herein the Singapore story as a case study in meeting the challenges of disease control in our modern built environment.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.222-230
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• 2017

Background: Varicella is the most common infectious disease reported despite the high vaccination rate. Interventions that target humans are particularly effective for varicella because humans are its only natural host. On the other hand, the existing national varicella surveillance systems lack the information to identify an outbreak. Therefore, a new index to assess varicella outbreaks was developed. Methods: The residential addresses of 2,718 varicella cases reported in Daegu in 2016 were converted to geographic coordinates and the distances between new varicella case and previous cases within 21 days were calculated from the date analyzed. Two cases were considered to be adjacent if the distance between them was less than 1 km. Finally, a proximity index was introduced by dividing the number of adjacent cases by the number of new cases on the date analyzed. Results: First, time-series charts and scatter plots were used to verify that the proximity index reflected the spatial closeness of the different varicella cases. The proximity index is helpful in identifying outbreaks from a list of single varicella cases. In addition, in this study, a new epidemic characteristic of varicella based on the proximity index was shown. Conclusion: The proximity index introduced in this study can be used to determine the likelihood of an outbreak from a single case of varicella, and it can be embedded in a web-based national varicella surveillance system that is currently in operation.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.184-189
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• 2007

Pathogenic microbial foodborne disease outbreaks (PMFBDOs) have increased in many countries, the boom in food service establishment is not matched by effective food safety and control. In this study, we investigated the current state and the epidemic aspects of FBDOs in Korea and Japan. In Korea, the average prevalence rate of foodborne disease (FBD) was 15.0 per 100,000 population and cases per outbreak of FBD was 57.0. During the same period in Japan, the prevalence rate showed an average of 24.9, and the cases per outbreak were 16. When both prevalence rate and cases per outbreak were compared, the prevalence rate in Japan was much higher than that in Korea (p<0.01). However, average cases per outbreak of FBD in Japan were much lower than those in Korea (p<0.01). In Korea, outbreaks of FBDs were more common in spring (p<0.01), while in Japan, more frequent in summer and winter (p<0.01). Outbreaks of FBD occurred largely through restaurant and school foods (32.0% and 27.5%) in Korea. In Japan, the proportion of the outbreak cases in the restaurant and home were 23.7% and 12.1%, and cases of unknown causes of FBDs were 48.2%, respectively. Bacteria were the major causes of infection in both countries. The prevalence of PMFBDOs by Salmonella spp. Vibrio parahemolyticus and Staphylococcus aureus were much higher in Korea, while those by Camphylobacter spp. and SRSV were more common in Japan. The causes by virus were more frequent in Japan (13.7%) than in Korea (7.7%). The prevalence of FBDs in Korea and Japan showed characteristic differences, especially in the PMFBDOs due to such factors as geography, climate, culture, diet and food management.

• Journal of Korean Society of Disaster and Security
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.93-101
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• 2016

In recent years, epidemics have raged with a 6-7 years period such as SARS (2002), Swine Flu (2009), MERS (2015). When an epidemic arises, the first advice is the isolation of infected patients and disease areas. Because it appears after a certain incubation period, the peoples worked with Infected (infection cause) staff and the place are largely exposed to the epidemic Risk. If you have an epidemic in the workplace, even if you close it, the business plan should be ready to continue the safety and protection measures for employees and the organization's core business. In this study We present the corresponding measures to protect the safety of the employees and to continue the core business during a pandemic outbreak and the introduction of BCP mainly corresponding practices of financial companies.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.114-123
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• 2005

Purpose : A wide, epidemic outbreak of M. pneumoniae pneumonia occurred throughout Korea in late 2003. Compared with previous years, the 2003 outbreak resulted in more severe cases and in an increased incidence of extrapulmonary symptoms and/or complications. We compared the clinical characteristics for M. pneumoniae pneumonia of 2003 to those of the past years. Methods : One hundred six children diagnosed with M. pneumoniae pneumonia by serologic tests at Bundang Cha General Hospital between Aug 2003 to April 2004 were enrolled. Medical records were reviewed retrospectively, for clinical, laboratory and radiological aspect as well as complications. The pleural effusions of 3 patients who underwent thoracentesis were also analyzed. Results : The duration of fever, cough, rhinorrhea, and sore throat was $8.2{\pm}4.7$, $22.1{\pm}4.8$, $8.4{\pm}2.1$, $4.3{\pm}1.2$ days, respectively. The incidence (percentage) and duration of abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, headache, skin rash, arthralgia was $5.1{\pm}2.5$ (21.9%), $3.4{\pm}2.1$ (17.1%), $4.3{\pm}1.8$ (16.2%), $3.5{\pm}2.1$ (14.4%), $5.5{\pm}0.7$ (5.9%) and $4.6{\pm}1.3$ days (4.9%), respectively. The mean duration of admission and treatment were $7.4{\pm}4.3$ days and $21.6{\pm}11.1$ days. Higher values of CRP and ESR on admission were positively correlated with the duration of fever and length of admission. The findings of pleural effusion were similar to those seen in TB pleurisy. Complications, including myocarditis (2 cases), arthritis (3 cases), vasculitis (5 cases), asthma (3 cases), ARDS (1 case), and DIC (2 cases) were observed in 14.1% of patients. Conclusion : We found a number of characteristics of M. pneumoniae pneumonia among cases from late 2003 that were different from those of previous years. This outbreak resulted in more severe cases and in an increased incidence of extrapulmonary symptoms and/or complications. A multicenter study is needed to verify the changes in clinical characteristics observed during the 2003 outbreak from previous ones.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.53 no.5
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• pp.307-310
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• 2020

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has placed unprecedented pressure on healthcare systems, even in advanced economies. While the number of cases of SARS-CoV-2 in Africa compared to other continents has so far been low, there are concerns about under-reporting, inadequate diagnostic tools, and insufficient treatment facilities. Moreover, proactiveness on the part of African governments has been under scrutiny. For instance, issues have emerged regarding the responsiveness of African countries in closing international borders to limit trans-continental transmission of the virus. Overdependence on imported products and outsourced services could have contributed to African governments' hesitation to shut down international air and seaports. In this era of emerging and re-emerging pathogens, we recommend that African nations should consider self-sufficiency in the health sector as an urgent priority, as this will not be the last outbreak to occur. In addition to the Regional Disease Surveillance Systems Enhancement fund (US$600 million) provided by the World Bank for strengthening health systems and disease surveillance, each country should further establish an epidemic emergency fund for epidemic preparedness and response. We also recommend that epidemic surveillance units should create a secure database of previous and ongoing pandemics in terms of aetiology, spread, and treatment, as well as financial management records. Strategic collection and analysis of data should also be a central focus of these units to facilitate studies of disease trends and to estimate the scale of requirements in preparation and response to any future pandemic or epidemic.