Korean J Aerosp Environ Med.  2017 Apr;27(1):5-9.

Trends in Epidemiological Aspects and Features by Age-Specific of Japanese Encephalitis in Korea for the Last Two Decades

• Kim WH
• Lee MJ
• Lee WC
• Kwon YH

Abstract

The objective of this study concerns trends in the epidemic pattern and aspects of Japanese encephalitis (JE) in Korea over the last two decades between the 1980s (1980~1988) and 2000s (2004~2013). There were a total of 1,641 nationwide cases and 68 deaths of JE with a cumulative incidence rate (CIR) and cumulative mortality rate (CMR) of 0.431 and 0.018 per 100,000 populations in the 1980s, and a total of 88 cases and 17 deaths of JE with a CIR and CMR was 0.19 and 0.003 in the 2000s. The CIR and CMR in the 1980s was tended to decreased to the 2000s, (P＜0.01). However, the case-fatality rate (CFR) in the 1980s (4.1%) was increased from the 1980s to 2000s (19.3%), (P＜0.01). The age distribution of JE cases was as follows; an 87.3% of the JE cases involved those younger than 19-years old in the 1980s and an 87.5% of the cases in the 2000s involved those over 40-years old; these were the trending changes from the 1980s to the 2000s, (P＜0.01). Consideration should be given to an adult such as swineherd workers or livestock farmers, so that the immunization policy in Korea can benefit them for the better planning of future control strategies.

Keyword

Japanese encephalitis; Epidemiologic studies; Republic of Korea