• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.20 no.5
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• pp.713-720
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• 2022

The objective of this study is to provide the basic data for the development of educational programs for the prevention of infectious diseases targeting the elderly by researching the degree of personal hygiene practice, perceived risk of infection, and knowledge and importance of infectious diseases for the prevention of infectious diseases of the elderly. Using the structured questionnaire for a month of October in 2021, this study surveyed total 110 elderly people in their 65 or up by using the one-to-one individual interview method through the Gallup Korea. The collected data was analyzed by using the IBM SPSS Statistics 25.0 Program. In the results of analyzing the ranking by converting it into Borich's needs formula and then totaling up the degree of importance and knowledge, it was researched as the 1^st place for the transmission path of infectious diseases, the 2^nd place for the preventive method of infectious diseases, the 3^rd place for the treatment method of infectious diseases, the 4^th place for the handling procedure in case an infectious disease was doubted and confirmed, and the 5^th place for the major symptoms of infectious diseases. The results of this study could contribute to the improvement of infection preventive practice through the provision of proper information to subjects, by providing the basic data for the development of educational programs for the elderly reflecting the needs of prevention and management of infectious diseases.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.89-110
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• 2012

Meningococcal Disease, manifesting as meningitis and septicemia, is a life-threatening bacterial infection that results in significant morbidity and mortality, particularly in childhood. Its epidemic potential and limited opportunities for clinical intervention due to its rapid course present unique public health and clinical challenges. Incidence is highest in infants and young children, with a secondary peak of risk in adolescents. Approximately 10% of cases are fatal and survivors can be left with serious and permanent sequelae including amputations, hearing loss and cognitive impairment. Transmission is only from human-to-human, by infected respiratory tract secretions or saliva and therefore crowding poses a tremendously elevated risk for disease development. Military recruits and university students are at high risk due to the high carriage rate in adolescents, their behavior patterns and close contact. Menveo$^{(R)}$ (Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics), a novel quadrivalent meningococcal conjugate vaccine directed against meningococcal serogroups A, C, W-135 and Y, has been shown to be immunogenic and well tolerated in all age groups and was recently licensed for use in Korea. Recent cases and deaths among military recruits drew public attention to their elevated risk and the Korean government has recommended vaccination of all new military recruits. Many Korean students seek to attend school, university, or language institutes in countries where routine meningococcal vaccination is required - clinicians should be aware of such requirements to ensure that students are vaccinated prior to arrival in the destination country.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.54 no.3
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• pp.188-199
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• 2018

Genomic epidemiology exploits various basic microbial research areas. High-throughput sequencing technologies dramatically have been expanding the number of microbial genome sequences available. Abundant genomic data provide an opportunity to perform strain typing more effectively, helping identify microbial species and strains at a higher resolution than ever before. Genomic epidemiology needs to find antimicrobial resistance genes in addition to standard genome annotations. Strain typing and antimicrobial resistance gene finding are static aspects of genomic epidemiology. Finding which hosts infected which other hosts requires the inference of transient transmission routes among infected hosts. The strain typing, antimicrobial resistance gene finding, and transmission tree inference would allow for better surveillance of microbial infectious diseases, which is one of the ultimate goals of genomic epidemiology. Among several high-throughput sequencing technologies, genomic epidemiology will benefit from the more portability and shorter sequencing time of the Oxford Nanopore Technologies's MinION, the third-generation sequencing technology. Here, this study reviewed computational methods for quantifying antimicrobial resistance genes and inferring disease transmission trees. In addition, the MinION's applications to genomic epidemiology were discussed.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.18 no.10
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• pp.185-196
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• 2017

This study was conducted to investigate the practical experience of nurses in MERS patients care. Nine nurses in one general hospital in S city underwent in-depth interviews from August 2015 to March 2016. The collected data were analyzed according to the procedure of the phenomenological method of Colaizzi. The following five categories were derived: '1. Anxiety and burden due to the risk of transmission of new infectious diseases', '2. Social isolation because of being the nurse in charge of MERS patients', '3. Faced with problems due to an unprepared treatment environment', '4. Overcome the burdensome MERS patient care process', '5. Reflect on the steps for preparing against new infectious diseases'. These results suggest that it is important to draw positive experiences as well as the negative effects of nurses who are involved in treatment of various infectious diseases, including MERS. Based on this, it can be used as a basis for reducing negative psychological and social impacts and improving positive adaptation. Additionally, it is necessary for healthcare workers including nurses to establish the necessary workforces, departments and guidelines for nursing new infectious disease patients.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.80 no.1
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• pp.21-26
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• 2017

It is well established that health care workers (HCWs) have a considerably higher risk of occupationally acquired tuberculosis (TB). To reduce the transmission of TB to HCWs and patients, TB infection control programs should be implemented in health care settings. The first and most important level of all protection and control programs is administrative control. Its goals are to prevent HCWs, other staff, and patients from being exposed to TB, and to reduce the transmission of infection by ensuring rapid diagnosis and treatment of affected individuals. Administrative control measures recommended by the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization include prompt identification of people with TB symptoms, isolation of infectious patients, control of the spread of the pathogen, and minimization of time spent in health care facilities. Another key component of measures undertaken is the baseline and serial screening for latent TB infection in HCWs who are at risk of exposure to TB. Although the interferon-gamma release assay has some advantages over the tuberculin skin test, the former has serious limitations, mostly due to its high conversion rate.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.170-178
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• 2019

Purpose: Annual influenza vaccination is the best strategy to prevent healthcare-associated influenza transmission. Influenza vaccination rates among healthcare workers (HCWs) vary by country, region, and year. We investigated the influenza vaccination rates for HCWs during the 2017-2018 influenza season in South Korea, where a non-mandatory vaccination campaign was conducted. Methods: We retrospectively investigated factors affecting the influenza vaccination rate among HCWs during the 2017-2018 influenza season in three tertiary hospitals in Goyang City, where the non-mandatory influenza vaccination program is conducted. Results: Consequently, 6,994 of 7,180 HCWs (97%) were included, and the overall vaccination rate was 85%. Nurses had the highest rate with 92%, followed by health technicians (88%), physicians (84%), and non-medical HCWs (79%, P<0.001). Vaccination rates differed, depending on the frequency of contact with patients in the non-medical HCWs (frequent contact vs. less-frequent contact; 90% vs. 73%, P<0.001). Conclusions: The influenza vaccination rate among HCWs during the 2017-2018 influenza season in Korea was 85%, which is among the highest rates compared with previously reported non-mandatory vaccination rates in other countries. The vaccination rate may vary depending on the HCW's occupational characteristics, including the extent of contact with the patient. Therefore, a multifaceted strategy is needed to increase the vaccination rate of HCWs.

• Quality Improvement in Health Care
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.39-49
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• 2022

Purpose:The infection and isolation program used at a university hospital in A city was assessed and improved to provide medical staff with easy-to-understand information on isolation precautions and infectious diseases. Methods: Based on the results of the root cause analysis, the infection and isolation alarm computer program was improved. Subsequently, a survey was conducted with infection control leaders and unit managers (n=98) within the department to evaluate the degree of improvement. Results: The isolation registration and release procedures were simplified and unified to prevent confusion among the relevant departments. Additionally, the screen composition was improved so that various information related to infection can be easily accessed. After improvement in the program, the rate of isolation registration (53.0% to 100.0%, p<.001) and user satisfaction (67.6% to 92.2%) improved. Conclusion: This study will help improve the program so that other medical institutions can comply with the isolation precautions in accordance with the type of infections.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Service
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.133-144
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• 2007

This study was conducted to determine the effective environmental control measures in preventing calf diarrheal disease in farms. It was found that the high numbers of calves in a cow house was directly related with the high incidence rate of diarrheal diseases. When the number of calves was increased in a cow house, it was difficult to reduce the diarrheal diseases of calves. It was revealed that the incidence rates of calf diarrheal disease were dramatically reduced when the delivery house which faced south. The periodical changes of bedding materials seemed beneficial good to control the possible resident infectious agents, including pathogenic viruses and bacteria. The control of the delivery time was important for reduction of calf diarrhea. It was revealed that September and October were the best time as the delivery period. In order to use old cow house as a delivery house, it should be sterilized by the disinfectant and the flame. When the diarrheal feces were removed as soon as possible, the transmission of diarrheal diseases among calves In the same house was reduced. When the diarrheal feces were not disposed, the incidence rate of diarrhea reached up to 50%. When the morbid calves were not quarantined, the incidence rate of diarrhea was 100%. In contrast, when the diseased calves were quarantined from other calves, the incidence rate of diarrhea was reduced, remarkably. The mean recovery time from the diarrhea of the treated calves in the southern cow house was much faster than that in the north cow house. The treatment of calves in a clean and well-ventilated cow house with dry bedding was more effective than that in a cold, wet, and dark house. It could be postulated that the most important environmental factor in the reduction of diarrheal diseases of calves is the blocking of the entry of the infectious agents. The complete sanitation and control of the delivery house in the using farm is more important than building a new cow house, for prevention of calf diarrheal diseases.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.53 no.6
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• pp.405-408
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• 2020

In epidemiology, the basic reproduction number (R₀) is a term that describes the expected number of infections generated by 1 case in a susceptible population. At the beginning of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, R₀ was frequently referenced by the public health community and the wider public. However, this metric is often misused or misinterpreted. Moreover, the complexity of the process of estimating R₀ has caused difficulties for a substantial number of researchers. In this article, in order to increase the accessibility of this concept, we address several misconceptions related to the threshold characteristics of R₀ and the effective reproduction number (R_t). Moreover, the appropriate interpretation of the metrics is discussed. R₀ should be considered as a population-averaged value that pools the contact structure according to a stochastic transmission process. Furthermore, it is necessary to understand the unavoidable time lag for R_t due to the incubation period of the disease.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.119-123
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• 2020

The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has rapidly spread across the world and caused a pandemic. It can be transmitted by an infected person or an asymptomatic carrier and is a highly contagious disease. Prevention and early identification of COVID-19 are important to minimize the transmission of COVID-19. Chest computed tomography (CT) has a high sensitivity for detecting COVID-19, but relatively low specificity. Therefore, chest CT may be difficult to distinguish COVID-19 findings from those of other infectious (notably viral types of pneumonia) or noninfectious disease. Pulmonary contusion has also a lot of similarities on chest CT with COVID-19 pneumonia. We present trauma patients with pulmonary contusion whose CT scans showed findings similar to those of COVID-19, and we report our experience in the management of trauma patients during the COVID-19 pandemic.