Wear Long Sleeves and Pants During Farming Activities
Enhance Personal Hygiene, Such as Showering After Hiking
Jeonnam Province has urged caution during outdoor activities to prevent tick-borne infectious diseases, as tick activity is expected to become more intense and their population is likely to surge due to recent temperature increases.
Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome (SFTS) and Tsutsugamushi disease, which mainly occur from April to November, pose an increased risk of infection as outdoor activities such as farming, hiking, camping, and grass cutting become more frequent.
SFTS is a tick-borne infectious disease transmitted by hard ticks. After an incubation period of 5 to 14 days, symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhea, and muscle pain may appear. If the condition worsens, it can lead to serious complications such as thrombocytopenia and liver dysfunction.
Particular caution is required for the elderly and those with weakened immune systems, as the disease can progress to a severe stage or even result in death.
Tsutsugamushi disease is a mite-borne infectious disease. After an incubation period of up to 10 days, symptoms such as fever, chills, headache, muscle pain, and rash may occur, along with the appearance of a black scab (eschar) at the bite site.
Although it can be easily treated with antibiotics, delayed treatment can result in complications such as pneumonia and encephalitis, so caution is necessary.
In fact, from 2022 to 2024, there were 15 deaths caused by tick-borne infectious diseases in the Jeonnam region over the past three years.
When engaging in outdoor activities, it is recommended to wear long sleeves, long pants, and hats to minimize skin exposure, wear light-colored clothing to make it easier to spot ticks, and use tick repellents.
Additionally, do not sit or lie directly on grass or bushes, and after outdoor activities, immediately brush off your clothes and check for ticks on your body by showering after returning home.
Jeonnam Province is providing tick repellents at key locations such as hiking trail entrances and community centers, and is creating an environment to prevent the spread of tick-borne infectious diseases through public awareness campaigns.
Namseok Na, Director of the Infectious Disease Control Division at Jeonnam Province, emphasized, "These are diseases that can be sufficiently prevented, so please strictly follow the prevention guidelines. If you experience high fever, vomiting, or other gastrointestinal symptoms after outdoor activities, you should immediately seek medical attention."
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