Infectious disease countermeasures get a head start in Korea this year

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) began implementing infectious disease countermeasures three weeks ahead of schedule on Friday, in response to a rapid rise in norovirus and other respiratory illnesses.

Jee Young-mee, commissioner of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, receives her Covid-19 and influenza vaccinations at a clinic in Mapo District, western Seoul, on Nov. 2. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) began implementing infectious disease countermeasures three weeks ahead of schedule on Friday, in response to a rapid rise in norovirus and other respiratory illnesses.

The disease control measures were originally due to take effect during the Lunar New Year holiday, known as Seollal in Korean, which begins on Feb. 9 this year.

According to the KDCA, over 360 people tested positive for norovirus from Jan. 7 to 13, the highest weekly caseload of the disease since January 2020.

Norovirus cases in Korea typically spike between the third week of January and fourth week of February.

Children under six years of age made up 49.4 percent of the recent cases, highlighting the disease’s rapid spread in day care facilities and kindergartens.

The same demographic made up 57.7 percent of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) cases recorded in the first two weeks of this month, and numbers are expected to increase over the following weeks based on past infection trends, according to the KDCA.

KDCA Commissioner Jee Young-mee called on members of the public to “immediately report” symptoms involving vomiting and diarrhea in more than two people living in the same household, as well as signs of respiratory illness, to their nearest public health center.

Cases of influenza have also skyrocketed since the government lifted regulations mandating the use of face coverings.

According to the National Health Insurance Service, the number of people who tested positive for the flu reached 873,590 in 2022 — a 91.2-fold increase from the previous year’s 9,574 reported cases.

Cases of influenza declined drastically during the Covid-19 pandemic, when face coverings were required in almost all public settings, falling from 1.77 million cases in 2019.

Almost 40 percent of those diagnosed with influenza in 2022 were teenagers, while 25.8 percent were aged 9 or under, according to the National Health Insurance Service’s data.

BY MICHAEL LEE [lee.junhyuk@joongang.co.kr]