• Journal of The Korea Institute of Healthcare Architecture
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.27-38
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• 2022

Purpose: This study tried to present basic data for establishment of facility guidelines and facility certification standards for the comprehensive prevention of infectious diseases in buildings. Methods: This study examines the concept of architectural countermeasures for the prevention of infectious diseases through literature reviews, and then classifies and organizes the countermeasures by viewing the infectious diseases hospitals as the top-level facility in terms of responding to infectious diseases. Results: At first, this study categorized and organized infection prevention countermeasures of infectious disease hospitals, which are the highest level facilities in terms of response to infectious diseases. And by presenting the concept of step-by-step setting of countermeasures for general buildings such as welfare facilities and multi-use facilities, which are lower-level facilities in the aspect of prevention of infectious diseases, this study tried to present basic data for establishing facility guidelines and facility certification standards for comprehensive prevention of infectious diseases in buildings. Implications: In the future, it is expected that spatial changes for the prevention of infectious diseases will spread to general constructions such as public buildings, private buildings, and multi-use facilities, and comprehensive infection prevention facility guidelines are needed.

• The Korean Society of Law and Medicine
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.197-225
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• 2015

The presentation of this paper was triggered by the spread of MERS in Korea in the year 2015. The analysis of the present acts related with MERS is necessary in order to cope efficiently with any probable spread of such infectious diseases as MERS in future. The acts that should be analyzed in this paper include 'Medical Service Act' and 'Infectious Disease Control And Prevention Act' (hereafter, IDCAPA). At first the classification of the infectious diseases in IDCAPA should be referred to. The Act does not properly classify them because the scope of concept of each group of the infectious diseases overlaps each other. This overlap should be removed. The present system in IDCAPA is not proper for the efficient notification and reporting of the infectious disease patients. This is so in some viewpoints including the persons obligated to make the notification and reporting, the persons to whom they should notify and report such patients, and the process of notification and reporting. The efficient approach to the information related with the infectious disease is necessary for the rapid prevention of its spread. Cohort isolation and quarantine of the infectious patients and exposed contacts are the strongest and most efficient steps for the prevention of spread of the infectious diseases. One of the great problems related with such steps would be the conflict of powers or attributions, the likelihood of which is inevitable under the present system of IDCAPA. The IDCAPA distributed the power or attribution to take the steps to the three governments including the central government, the metropolitan government and the primary local government. The power should be concentrated in the central government, which could afford financially to compensate for the huge amount of damages caused likely by the steps. The power to take the steps would be actually just a useless thing for its holder without such financial capacity. The remedy for the victims by the fault of spreader should be approached to in the sense of national wealth. The general principle of tort law could not supply the victims with the sufficient remedy because the damages would be likely too huge for the wealth of such spreader to cope with. In future another parliamentary inspection could reveal another problems in the administration by the government of the MERS event in the year 2015. Any problem caused by defect in the legal system of the control and prevention of the infectious diseases should be taken into consideration when the legal system would be reformed in future.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.1-3
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• 2020

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which originated in Wuhan, China, is pandemic. It has occurred in more than 170 countries on six continents. In Korea, COVID-19's cases are more than 9,000. The reasons of pandemic COVID-19 are that COVID-19 can spread asymptomatic or early in symptoms although similar reproductive number to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS), that there are more travelers in China and world than the SARS of 2003, and that the control of COVID-19 was contaminated to political considerations in China, World Health Organization (WHO), and Korea. Emerging infectious diseases such as COVID-19 will occur in the future. To prepare for control of emerging infectious disease, first, the Ministry of Health should be independent from Ministry of Health and Welfare and the department of disease management should be established. Second, experts for making evidence about the emerging infectious diseases should be trained and the plan that is the mobilization of manpower and facilities in large cases will be established. Third, the WHO should enhance its capacity to manage emerging infectious diseases and Korea will support the country of occurred emerging diseases through experts in the analysis of emerging infectious diseases.

• The Journal of Korean Society for School & Community Health Education
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.41-52
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• 2021

Background & Objectives: The purpose of this study is to present infectious diseases control and crisis response plans for International students by investigating the management of International students and prevention of infectious diseases targeting International students infectious disease control managers at universities in Busan in a situation where the risk of infectious diseases increases due to the spread of COVID-19. Methods: The data were collected from 14 International students infectious disease control managers at universities in Busan. Statistical analysis was done by using SPSS 22.0. Results: There were differences in the importance and performance of COVID-19 infectious disease control and support work by university. Conclusions: It is necessary to integrate management of support and roles of infectious diseases control for foreign students. Furthermore, strengthening the competence of experts and communication tools with international students are needed.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.301-307
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• 2018

The development of transport is being easily shared with people all over the world. It is necessary to appropriately and effectively revise the domestic quarantine law because the fatal infectious diseases are at risk of being easily shared. Today, Korea has an advanced quarantine system approved by World Health Organization, but it maintains partnerships with related ministries (Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Justice, local medical institutions) and to introduce new medical technology (electronic quarantine) is important. And since the prevention of quarantine infectious diseases and prevention of the spread, in order to maintain international cooperation with the International Health Regulations, the quarantine law and the system should be amended and improved effectively and it is also a way to prepare for the outbreak of new quarantine infectious diseases. In the past, Korea has experienced great confusion during the past outbreak of swine flu and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus. To prevent similar cases from recurring in the past, the revision of the quarantine law and the improvement of the system should be done to cope with the changing environment (new infections, increased number of overseas travelers, etc.).

• Journal of the Korean Society of Surveying, Geodesy, Photogrammetry and Cartography
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.287-294
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• 2012

The spread of infectious diseases in the event of livestock is getting faster and the route of spread gets more varied. It is important for the responsible agency to detect early and establish a prevention and surveillance system. If the spread cannot be contained effectively, great damage and loss will be inevitable in terms of social, environment and economic aspects as well as the welfare of the farmers. At present in Korea, a web-based Infectious Livestock Diseases Statistics System (AIMS: Animal Infectious Disease Data Management System) has been already implemented for this purpose and the service is available to the general public. But this system does not provide geospatial information and does not provide support for decision making and does not provide multi-dimensional information. In this study, an open source-based SOLAP (Spatial On-Line Analytical Processing) technology is applied to enable many diverse forms of data analysis from many aspects to support decision making. The SOLAP system was designed to integrate geospatial information and the analysis of information has been largely divided into map-based analysis and table-based analysis.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.46 no.3
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• pp.172-182
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• 2022

Background: The coronavirus problem is an ecological problem stemming from a sudden change in the relationship between parasites and hosts. Ecologists judge organisms that are established out of their original territory as exotic species. Unlike in their original habitat, these exotic species become very aggressive in their newly settled habitat. Coronavirus infection damage was bigger in Europe or the United States than that in the country of its origin, China, and its neighboring countries. Therefore, coronavirus infection damage resembles the damage due to the invasive species. Results: Exotic species are found in places with similar environmental conditions to those of their origin when introduced to other ecological regions. However, there are few ecological ill effects in their place of origin, while the damage is usually severe in the ecological regions in which it is introduced. According to historical records, exotic infectious diseases, such as European smallpox and measles, also showed a similar trend and caused great damage in newly established places. Therefore, it is expected that measures to manage exotic species could be used for the prevention of exotic infectious diseases such as the coronavirus. Conclusions: Prevention comes first in the management of exotic species, and in order to come up with preventive measures, it is important to collect information on the characteristics of related organisms and their preferred environment. In this respect, ecosystem management measures such as exotic species management measures could be used as a reference to prevent and suppress the spread. To put these measures into practice, it is urgently required to establish an international integrated information network for collecting and exchanging information between regions and countries. Furthermore, a systematic ecosystem-management strategy in which natural and human environments could continue sustainable lives in their respective locations may serve as a countermeasure to prevent infectious diseases.

• Journal of Industrial Convergence
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.111-116
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• 2023

Recently, viral infectious diseases and new diseases are not limited to one region, but are spreading worldwide, causing serious economic and social damage. In addition, the development cycle of new diseases is shortening, and the rate of spread is accelerating. In order to prevent the spread of disease, passive forms of response after a disease outbreak, such as personal and regional quarantine and border closure, are prioritized. This type of response has many shortcomings as a fundamental response to preventing the spread of disease. Therefore, this study proposes a disease prevention monitoring system including new disease occurrence information. In this study, disease information and user information are collected through the establishment of the IoMT environment. Information collection using an agent collects and classifies data registered in the disease information server. In the IoMT environment, user data is collected, and whether the user is infected with a disease is evaluated and provided to the user. Through this study, individual disease symptom information can be provided and active countermeasures against the spread of disease can be provided.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.330-340
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• 2016

Objective: The outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) started in South Korea in May 2015 and the end of crisis was declared in December 2015 by Korea Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC). However, Zika virus emerged in less than 2 months following MERS and showed higher mortality than other countries. This study is to assess the current prevention system of overseas infectious diseases, based on MERS and Zika virus outbreak and to suggest effective response system for the future. Methods: We conducted two surveys on medical specialists working at tertiary general hospitals regarding the effectiveness of responding system by KCDC against MERS and Zika virus and education in individual medical institutions using 5-Likert points. Response system was examined in three different periods as initial period, spreading period, and post disease period. Results: Although medical specialists received the notifications in initial period, no practical prevention was proven to be placed in responding stage by medical facilities (averagely 3.5/5 points in total and sub-analyses). During spreading period, there were several academic seminars conducted, which were evaluated as helpful. In post disease period, all answered that there were changes on patient treatment in all medical facilities, with mainly report system and the treatment regulations in case of suspicious patients for infection. Only 49% respondents answered positive on the possibility of initial responses. For questionnaire items regarding Zika virus, all answered that there were notifications prior to the first outbreak of the infected patient. Eighty% of respondents were aware of 'the Guideline system for traveling to dangerous areas', and answered that the system was moderately effective (averagely 3.8/5 points in total). For the effectiveness of prevention measures for foreign novel disease by KCDC, the average point was 3.0 in both of total and sub-analyses. Conclusion: There is not enough response system to prevent infectious disease in medical institutional and governmental levels in Korea. It would warrant the modification of overall medical system to improve preventive measures for initial spread of such diseases.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.56 no.5
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• pp.431-439
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• 2023

Objectives: Numerous studies have explored the causes and spread of outbreaks, yet there is a lack of research on post-coronavirus disease 2019 condition (PCC) in Korea. The goal of this study was to identify the various types of PCC and associated factors in discharged patients and to provide directions for the ongoing health management of confirmed patients. Methods: A telephone survey was conducted among 680 coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients diagnosed between July 7, 2021 and August 26, 2021, in Dangjin, Chungnam, Korea. A descriptive analysis of characteristics, univariate analysis, and regression were performed using data from basic epidemiological surveys conducted at the time of diagnosis and post-discharge questionnaires. Results: Of the 585 patients who responded, 159 (27.2%) developed PCC. Of the 211 patients with no initial symptoms, 27 (12.8%) developed PCC, versus 132 (35.3%) of the 374 patients with initial symptoms. Among the initial symptoms, fever or chills, cough or sputum, loss of smell, and sore throat were associated with PCC. Compared to patients with less than 10 days of hospitalization, those with a hospitalization period of 21 days to 30 days (odds ratio [OR], 2.3; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.0 to 5.2) and 31 days or more (OR, 5.8; 95% CI, 1.9 to 18.1) had a higher risk of PCC. Conclusions: More than a quarter of COVID-19 patients, including those who had no initial symptoms, experienced PCC in Korea. People with the initial symptoms of fever, chills, and respiratory symptoms and those who had prolonged hospital stays had a high risk of PCC.