| A child is vaccinated against Japanese encephalitis at a pediatric hospital in Busan, in this September photo. / Korea Times file |
By Bahk Eun-ji
As the days get warmer, May has become a month of precautions for the health authorities as well as people here as infectious diseases usually prevalent in summer are already starting to spread.
Tick bites
A 55-year-old woman in South Chungcheong Province died after being bitten by a blood-sucking mite at the beginning of the month. The woman enjoyed outdoor work such as gardening before showing symptoms of severe fever and erythema. It was the first death from a tick bite this year.
Mites are the cause of several infectious diseases including severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS), Lyme disease and tick-borne encephalitis. SFTS is caused by a virus, a relatively new phlebovirus reported to be endemic to China in 2011, Japan in 2012 and Korea in 2013. Lyme disease is caused by a bacterial infection passed through the bite of an infected deer tick.
Mites usually inhabit damp, wet grass and forests, but have already become widespread here, even being found at parks in central Seoul.
The symptoms of SFTS include high fever, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, and it causes thrombocytopenia, leukocytopenia, neurological abnormalities and coagulopathy.
According to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC), 866 patients have been reported since 2013, and among them, 174, or 20 percent, died.
Currently, there are no vaccines or effective therapies for SFTS, so those who do outdoor activities are strongly recommended to wear long-sleeved shirts and use protective clothing and equipment.
According to a survey conducted by the Korea National Institute of Health, 18.6 percent of patients were bitten on thighs and 13.6 percent on their lower legs and knees.
Japanese encephalitis
Japanese encephalitis is a disease passed on through mosquito bites, particularly the culex species. The health authorities issued a culex alert after the species was found on Jeju Island last month. The virus is transmitted to humans from pigs or herons via mosquitoes.
| A culex species of mosquito causes Japanese encephalitis. /Korea Times file |
There is no cure for the disease, but vaccines that are more than 90 percent effective are available. Children under 12 years old can get vaccinated for free.
The most important thing is to prevent infection. To prevent mosquito bites, people planning outdoor activities are advised to wear long-sleeved shirts and pants to cover their skin, and avoid using perfumes or cosmetics with a strong scent. Mosquito repellant is also recommended.
Hepatitis A
Hepatitis A is a liver disease caused by a virus transmitted through ingestion of contaminated food or water, or through direct contact with an infected person. Symptoms include fatigue, sudden nausea and vomiting, and abdominal pain or discomfort.
The health authorities are raising concerns about the disease, as more than 4,000 cases have been reported this year. People in younger age groups, in their 20s and 30s, are specifically vulnerable, because they have grown up with fewer opportunities to be exposed to the virus and thus have a lower chance of forming antibodies.
Children under six years old do not show symptoms in many cases although they are infected, but people over that age usually show typical symptoms of hepatitis such as jaundice. The older they are, the more severe the symptoms are.
To reduce the risk of catching the virus, people are advised to always wash their hands after using the restroom, and to drink water that has been boiled.
Children between 12 months and 23 months are recommended to get two shots of the vaccine within a six-month period. Adults under the age of 40 are advised to get vaccinated without an antibody test, and those over 40, after the test.