Infect Chemother.  2008 Aug;40(4):191-198. 10.3947/ic.2008.40.4.191.

Status of Vivax Malaria after Re-emergence in South Korea

• Yeom JS
• Park JW

• KMID: 2170233
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3947/ic.2008.40.4.191

Abstract

Vivax malaria re-emerged in the Republic of Korea (ROK) in 1993. Sixteen years have passed and epidemiological characteristics have changed since then. The annual incidence of this disease which had increased rapidly through 2000, started to decrease rapidly in 2001, reaching about 800 cases in 2004. But it started to change again in 2005 and since then, about 2000 cases are occurring annually. Not only the cases are increasing but also geographic distributions are expanding into cities and counties bordering Seoul. Based on these data, possibility of occurrence of local transmission is very high. Malaria situation in North Korea is not so different from the ROK. Although annual incidence of diseases are decreasing every year, incidences in areas near demilitarized zone which can affect the ROK are still serious. And now economical and cultural exchange between the ROK and Nouth Korea is increasing every year. This also means that risks of exposure to this disease among civilians are also increasing. Control strategies in the beginning of resurgence had been focused mainly on decreasing transmission and cases of malaria. Main parts of these strategies were vector control and chloroquine chemoprophylaxis among soldiers stationed in high-risk areas. But now, epidemiological characteristics have changed and our control strategies need adjustment considering these changes.

Keyword

Malaria; Plasmodium vivax; Republic of Korea; Epidemiology

MeSH Terms

Chemoprevention
Chloroquine
Democratic People's Republic of Korea
Humans
Incidence
Korea
Malaria
Malaria, Vivax
Military Personnel
Plasmodium vivax
Republic of Korea
Chloroquine

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