Infectious disease cases rise 54 percent, whooping cough and scarlet fever top list

In 2024, Korea saw a 54 percent rise in infectious disease cases, particularly respiratory illnesses among children, with whooping cough cases surging dramatically. Deaths also increased by 18.2 percent.

Children and their parents wait for treatment at a pediatric hospital in Seoul on Jan. 13. [NEWS1]

The number of reported infectious disease cases in Korea jumped more than 54 percent in 2024 compared to the previous year, driven largely by respiratory illnesses such as whooping cough and scarlet fever spreading among children, according to an annual infectious disease report released by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) on Thursday.

Forty-six cases of the 66 notifiable diseases classified as first- to third-degree and subject to comprehensive surveillance were confirmed. Lower degrees mean that the disease is more detrimental or contagious and requires swift admission to the hospital.

Diseases classified as fourth-degree, including Covid-19, are monitored through sentinel surveillance.

The KDCA recorded 171,376 patients with comprehensively monitored infectious diseases in 2024, or 334 cases per 100,000 people.

The figure marks a 54.5 percent increase from 168,586 cases in 2023, excluding Covid-19 and syphilis, which were reclassified.

The sharp rise stemmed largely from an uptick in respiratory illnesses following the Covid-19 pandemic.

Outbreaks of whooping cough and scarlet fever were especially intense among preschoolers and school-age children. Whooping cough cases rose from 292 in 2023 to 48,048 last year, a 164-fold increase, with scarlet fever cases also growing more than eightfold from 815 to 6,642.

Other diseases showing double-digit growth included chickenpox up 18.3 percent, scrub typhus up 10.7 percent and carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) infections up 10.3 percent.

As respiratory illnesses such as the flu surge, a notice board showing trends in respiratory cases is posted at a pediatric clinic in Yongin, Gyeonggi, on Jan. 10. [YONHAP]

By contrast, the number of patients with mumps declined at 17 percent, hepatitis A 11.8 percent, hepatitis C 11.1 percent and tuberculosis 7.9 percent.

While the total number of new tuberculosis cases has continued to drop since peaking in 2011, older adults now account for a growing share. People aged 65 and older made up 58.9 percent of new cases last year.

There were 606 confirmed cases of imported infectious diseases last year, excluding Covid-19, marking a 55.8 percent increase year-over-year.

The volume remains within prepandemic levels from the 2010s, which ranged between 400 and 700 cases annually. Dengue fever, syphilis and malaria were the most commonly reported, with 79.5 percent of imported cases originating from Asia.

A total of 1,238 people died from infectious diseases last year, excluding white death, up 18.2 percent from 2023.

CRE infections accounted for the highest number of deaths, followed by AIDS and pneumococcal infections.

KDCA Commissioner Jee Young-mee emphasized the role of medical institutions in controlling disease outbreaks.

“Reporting by medical institutions is the front line of our surveillance system,” Jee said. “It is the most critical step in identifying outbreaks early, stopping their spread in the community and minimizing damage.”

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff. BY JUNG JONG-HOON [paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr]