Gwangju Nam-gu "Beware of Tick-borne Diseases in Autumn"

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Jin-hyung] Nam-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City (District Mayor Kim Byung-nae) has urged caution against tick-borne infectious diseases as the autumn season approaches, when outdoor activities such as farming and hiking become frequent.

Nam-gu operates an infectious disease alert service that provides advance information on seasonal prevalent diseases to prevent infections.

The theme for September is "Tick-borne Infectious Diseases," emphasizing the need for special caution in autumn to avoid being bitten by ticks infected with bacteria or viruses.

Tick-borne infectious diseases such as Tsutsugamushi disease and Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome (SFTS) are classified as Class 3 statutory infectious diseases.

According to data on the occurrence of tick-borne infectious diseases in the district from 2019 to 2021, reports of Tsutsugamushi disease increased from 15 cases in 2019 to 32 cases in both 2020 and 2021.

Among these, the actual confirmed infection cases were 2 in 2019, 5 in 2020, and 4 in 2021.

Tsutsugamushi disease is a febrile illness caused by larvae of trombiculid mites infected with bacteria. It occurs year-round but is known to peak between October and December.

Symptoms include high fever, chills, and rash, with a characteristic black scab observed at the bite site.

Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome is a febrile illness transmitted by bites from the small mammal tick carrying the virus. There were 7 reported cases in 2019, and 5 and 8 cases in 2020 and 2021, respectively.

There were no confirmed infection cases in the past three years.

In particular, SFTS is a dangerous infectious disease with a fatality rate of 18.4%, and since there are no vaccines or treatments, it poses a significant risk not only to farmers engaged in outdoor agricultural work but also to the general public who visit weekend farms or go hiking.

Symptoms include high fever, vomiting, and diarrhea, with cases concentrated between April and November.

A Nam-gu official advised, "Before going outdoors, wear clothing that does not expose the skin, use tick repellents during outdoor activities, and avoid grasslands and bushes as much as possible. Also, after returning home, take a shower, shake out and wash clothes, and carefully check your entire body for tick bites."