"Malaria: Avoiding Mosquito Bites Is the Best Prevention"

Uijeongbu City Health Center Urges Compliance with Autumn Malaria Prevention Guidelines

Autumn Malaria Prevention Guidelines Poster.

The Uijeongbu City Public Health Center (Director Jang Yeon-guk) urged compliance with malaria prevention guidelines in autumn as the mosquito activity period lengthens due to rising average temperatures.

Although the number of mosquitoes has decreased after the recent heatwave, the large temperature difference between day and night causes mosquitoes that were outdoors to enter indoors at night, so caution is needed to avoid mosquito bites until the end of October.

Malaria (Plasmodium vivax) occurring domestically is characterized by symptoms such as chills, high fever (above 40°C), and sweating that repeat every 48 hours. The incubation period ranges from 7 days to 12 months, so symptoms may appear long after being bitten by a mosquito.

Preventive measures include ▲using mosquito repellents ▲wearing light-colored long clothing ▲avoiding nighttime activities (from just after sunset to just before sunrise) ▲showering after outdoor activities ▲maintaining indoor window screens.

The city health center provides free rapid diagnostic kit testing for citizens who have symptoms of chills, high fever, and sweating occurring in 48-hour cycles for early patient diagnosis. The rapid diagnostic kit test uses fingertip blood sampling to confirm malaria infection within 20 minutes. However, since it is a presumptive test, if positive, one must visit a medical institution for confirmatory diagnostic tests (such as microscopic examination).

Director Jang Yeon-guk said, "Early symptoms of malaria are similar to those of COVID-19 and the common cold, which can delay diagnosis. We hope people follow prevention guidelines during outdoor activities and visit medical institutions immediately for testing if suspicious symptoms occur."