• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.1-9
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• 2015

Objectives: The purpose of this article was to assess epidemiological characteristics and recommendations for strengthening national response and preparedness after MERS-CoV outbreak in Korea, 2015. Methods: The author reviewed epidemiological reports and policy recommendations on MERS-CoV outbreak in Korea, 2015. Results: There was no evidence that genetical difference between the MERS viruses in the Republic of Korea and recent viruses in the Middle East. From the index case to last laboratory-confirmed case, there were 186 laboratory-confirmed cases that included 36 deaths(19.4%), all of whom appear epidemiologically linked to the index cases or subsequent secondary, tertiary, and quaternary cases. This outbreak spread to hospitals through nosocomial transmission. At least, three large clusters were investigated. However, there was at least one case of community transmission of MERS-CoV. Several factors had contributed to the MERS outbreak in Korea, 2015 that including epidemiological characteristics, and infrastructure of national healthcare system for preventing and controlling emerging infectious diseases. Conclusions: It is very important that to share experiences and identify underlying causes of this outbreak for prevention and control of emerging infectious disease in the future; including epidemiology, clinical features, and public health response and preparedness.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.9 no.5
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• pp.570-574
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• 1999

Investigate the epidemics for influenza outbreaks. The outbreak pattern of the internal patients housed in the 10 designated hospitals was monitered to investigate and the characteristics of the virus isolates are as follows. 232 strains of influenza virus was isolated from the oral specimen of 1,320 respiratory disease patients in Pusan from Oct. 1998 to Jun. 1999. Among these isolates, 222 strains were A-type and the rest were B-type. The outbreak pattern for sex-and age-groups is as follows. The male outbreak was similar to the female outbreak: male outbreak, 47.4% and female outbreak, 52.5%. Most of the patients were less than 10 years old. The monthly influenza outbreak was consistent from Dec. 1998 to Apr. 1999. and The 113 strains from the A-type isolates were A/ Sydney/05/97(H3N2)-like, the 109 strains were A/Beijing/262/95(H1N1)-like, and all of the 10 B-type isolates were B/Harbin/07/94-like.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.248-253
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• 2001

The outbreak patterns of the internal and external and external patients in the 20 designated hospitals and in 16 health centers were monitored to investigate and the characteristics of the virus isolates were as follows. Two hundreds and thirteen strains of influenza virus were isolated from the oral specimens of 1,686 patients with respiratory disease in Pusan. 1999. Among these isolates, 203 strains were A-type and the rest were B-type. The outbreak patterns for sex and age group were as follows. The male outbreak was similar to the female outbreak: male outbreak, 45.5% and female outbreak, 54.5%. Most of the patients were less than 10 days old. The monthly influenza outbreak was consistent from Jan. to Dec in 1999. The 96 strains from the A-type isolates were A/Sydney/05/97(H3N2)-like, the 107 strains were A/Beijing/262/95(H1N)-like, and all of the 10 B-type isolates were B/Harbin/07/94-like.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Service
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.1-9
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• 2003

The aim of this survey was to investigate the characteristics of outbreak farm determined as the classical swine fever(CSF) at Gangwha-gun and Seo-gu, Incheon metropolitan area from October 7 to November 25 in 2002. Sixty pigs in six different farms were confirmed to the CSF and a total of 9,106 pigs containing 3,194 related epidemiologically was slaughtered to stop spreading of the disease. Clinical signs of pigs diagnosed with the CSF were high fever, anorexia, depression, paralysis of hindlimbs, cyanosis, etc and gross lesions were typically represented with hemorrhage of submandibular and superficial lymph node, infarction of spleen, and petechial (ecchymotic) hemorrhage of kidney and skin. But some outbreak farms had not shown remarkable symptoms, so they were confused with other bacterial diseases. White blood cell (WBC) counts, the classical swine fever virus(CSFV) antigen and antibody enzyme linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA) and reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) results about six farms indicated that total 60 pigs were infected with the CSFV. Although the origin and infection route of the CSFV were not clear, but the transmissions between farms were mainly through indirect contact such as the movement of farm personal and vehicles from outbreak farm.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.340-345
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• 1997

This study was undertaken to evaluate microbial risk degree of some processed foods in Korea. In this study the data on the outbreak of foodborne diseases during recent 18 years (1976-1989, 1993-1996. 8) were analyzed. The most frequently isolated pathogens were Salmonella (36.9%); followed vibrio (22.0%), Staphylococcus (15.7%) and Escherichia coli (13.3%). Outbreak rate of Staphylococcus, Vibrio, E. coli and Salmonella, was 33.0%, 23.5%, 17.5% and 17.1%, respectively. Overall risk degree of pathogens by fatality rate, outbreak rate and pathogen amount for foodborne outbreak was Clostridium, 5, Staphylococcus and Vibrio, 4, Salmonella and E. coli, 3. Based on foodborne pathogens, the risk degree of raw seafoods, raw eggs and processed seafoods were 4, and those of raw meats, Doshiraks and milk products were 3. Also, based on processing characteristics of foods, the risk degree of surimi-based imitation crab was 3. Foods of the highest actual risk degree were raw seafoods and raw eggs (16); followed raw meats (15), surimi-based imitation crab (12), Doshirak (9) and milk products (6).

• Atmosphere
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.493-506
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• 2008

In order to examine the variational features of Asian dust outbreak in recent years, observed WMO synop data were employed for the period from 1996 to 2007. We first divided Asian dust source regions into four subregions; 1) Taklamakan, 2) Gobi, 3) Inner Mongolia-Manchuria and 4) Loess, and the meteorogical variables such as wind speed, precipitation and threshold wind speed observed during the Asian dust outbreak period were compared with those during non-Asian dust period. The results showed that temporal variation of occurrence frequency of dust outbreak had a strong positive correlation with the frequency of strong wind speed and low precipitation in each of the 4 source regions. Spatial distributions of frequency of dust occurrence after 2002 showed increasing trend in Gobi and Inner Mongolia-Manchuria but decreasing trend in Loess region. This is showing a shift in main source region toward Northwest, especially since 2003.

• Proceedings of the Safety Management and Science Conference
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• 2008.04a
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• pp.149-156
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• 2008

The main objective of this study is to find factors and typical characteristics on outbreak of musculoskeletal disorders in small sized companies which are located at eastern area in Kangwon-Do. Musculoskeletal disorders are becoming a serious problem in various industrial fields. Many researches have been focused on the analysis on outbreak of musculoskeletal disorders in order to reduce and prevent them. As a similar endeavor, this paper provides factor analysis on outbreak of musculoskeletal disorders. Questionnaire surveys regarding musculoskeletal disorders were conducted for the total number of 250 field workers. For the purpose of this study, seven independent variables(gender, age, career, housework, accident, trouble, and pain) are taken from questionnaires. The provided analysis result will be helpful as a starting point for root cause analysis and reduction of musculoskeletal disorders and also for establishment of safe work environments.

• Journal of Information Technology Applications and Management
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• v.30 no.5
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• pp.121-139
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• 2023

This study tried to identify factors affecting online activity before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. To this end, the effects of consumer innovativeness, self-esteem, and need for cognition on the activity of online media such as Internet and social media were investigated, and whether privacy concerns had a moderating effect. For this study, survey data from 2019(before the outbreak of COVID-19) to 2021(after the outbreak of COVID-19) of the 'Korea Media Panel Survey' surveyed by the Korea Information Society Development Institute was used for analysis. The research results that affect Internet activity are as follows. Before the outback of COVID-19, it was found that hedonic innovativeness and social innovativeness had a positive effect and cognitive innovativeness had a negative effect on increasing Internet activity. There was no moderating effect on privacy concerns. The period after the outbreak of COVID-19, need for cognition was found to have a positive effect on increasing social media activity. In addition, the moderating effect of privacy concerns was found in the relationship between need for cognition and Internet activity. There was no privacy concern effect before the outbreak of COVID-19, and the privacy concern effect appeared on functional innovation and need for cognition after the outbreak of COVID-19. This study aims to present various implications for companies to understand the characteristics of online consumers using the Internet and social media after the pandemic.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.46 no.2
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• pp.107-117
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• 2006

This paper described the epidemiological characteristics of 2002 outbreak of classical swine fever (CSF) in Korea. A total of thirteen CSF-infected farms could be classified into two clusters according to the location and time of outbreak. Two farms located in the same county of Gangwon province and 11 farms located in several different districts of Incheon metropolitan/Gyeonggi province were identified as CSF-infected from April 16 to 30 and from October 7 to December 21 in 2002, respectively. As the result of epidemiological analysis, the two clusters of outbreaks were turned out to be independent epidemics which had different sources of virus introduction. Three farms were found to have been infected primarily; one located in Cheolwon county of Gangwon province and two located in Kangwha county of Incheon metropolitan area. The most likely factors of virus introduction into these primary infected farms were considered to be direct or indirect contact by foreign workers and/or owners of the infected farms who had come back from traveling in China before outbreaks. This was supported by the genetic typing of CSF viruses isolated from the pigs of infected farms. All the virus isolates of 2002 outbreak were found to be genetic type 2, whereas the viruses isolated before 2000 were type 3 and the reference strains, such as attenuated live vaccine virus (LOM strain) and high virulent challenge virus (ALD strain), were type 1. Accordingly, we concluded that the 2002 CSF outbreak must have been caused by a newly introduced virus from overseas and the type 3 virus must have been eradicated after the last outbreak of 1999 by the national CSF eradication campaign which were implemented since 1996. Based on the combined analysis of epidemiological data and genetic typing, the transmission routes of classical swine fever virus were found to be the movement of vehicles (60%) and persons (10%), neighbourhood spread (20%) and unknown (10%). It is expected that the analyzed data and findings of classical swine fever outbreak epidemic could be very useful to establish the disease control and eradication program for the country in the future.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.64-74
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• 2024

Purpose: Despite the recent increased number of nosocomial measles, the outbreak investigation reports are not usually standardized, thus posing unclear understanding of magnitude of its public health burden. We used the Outbreak Reports and Intervention Studies of Nosocomial Infection (ORION) statement, to compare nosocomial outbreaks and synthesize evidence to prevent hospital transmission of measles. Methods: A PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Scopus, and Cochrane search in English, using the medical subject headings "measles," "nosocomial," "hospital," and "healthcare," was performed. We evaluated the quality of outbreak reports of nosocomial measles infection worldwide using the ORION statement findings and recommendations. Results: We reviewed 24 studies in accordance to the ORION statement. Measles transmission in healthcare settings is a significant burden on the morbidity, mortality, and economy of measles. The healthcare workers' booster vaccination guidelines should be monitored and enhanced during the post-elimination period of measles. The outcomes of infections must be explicit for outbreak reports. Conclusions: This study identified the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of nosocomial measles infections and provided strong evidence for infection control policies in hospitals.