Secondary Infections Confirmed During Treatment of SFTS Patient, Says KDCA
All Medical Staff Who Tested Positive Have Now Recovered and Are Symptom-Free
The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) announced that during the process of performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on a patient with Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome (SFTS), multiple medical staff members were exposed to the patient's blood and bodily fluids, resulting in secondary infections. The health authorities are currently conducting an epidemiological investigation and managing contacts.
According to the KDCA on July 1, a 69-year-old female patient, referred to as Patient A, who exhibited symptoms of SFTS, was transferred to a tertiary hospital in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, on June 9. Her condition rapidly deteriorated, and she died of multiple organ failure in the intensive care unit on June 11 while undergoing CPR. Previously, from June 2, Patient A had shown symptoms such as fever and was admitted to a hospital in Boeun on June 4. She was then transferred to a general hospital in Cheongju on June 5 as her symptoms worsened, including fever and pancytopenia, and was again transferred to the tertiary hospital on June 9 as her condition further deteriorated.
Subsequently, among the medical staff who participated in CPR on Patient A shortly before her death, nine individuals developed symptoms such as fever, headache, myalgia, and diarrhea between June 17 and June 20. SFTS diagnostic tests were conducted, and seven of them tested positive and were reported to the local public health center. The epidemiological investigation by the health authorities revealed that during procedures such as intubation, sputum suction, application of a ventilator, and CPR, the medical staff were exposed to the patient's blood and bodily fluids. The extent of exposure increased due to the prolonged duration of these procedures. All seven medical staff members who tested positive for SFTS have now recovered and are symptom-free.
The KDCA is monitoring for symptom development over a 28-day period, which is twice the maximum incubation period (14 days), for medical staff and funeral directors who were directly exposed to the blood or bodily fluids of the SFTS patient, as well as for medical staff and family members who may have been indirectly exposed.
SFTS is primarily transmitted through bites from ticks carrying the virus. However, it can also be transmitted between humans via droplets if medical staff or others are exposed to blood or bodily fluids while treating or handling severe or deceased patients who are expected to shed high concentrations of the SFTS virus. From 2014 to the present, there have been a total of 35 secondary human-to-human SFTS infections in Korea, of which 34 were healthcare workers and one was a funeral director.
Most secondary infections among healthcare workers occurred during high-risk procedures such as CPR, endotracheal intubation, and airway suctioning on SFTS patients. There is currently no treatment or preventive vaccine for SFTS, and the case fatality rate in Korea remains high at 18.5%.
Ji Youngmi, Commissioner of the KDCA, stated, "This case has reaffirmed the risk of secondary infection within medical institutions. Therefore, when diagnosing or treating SFTS patients, healthcare workers must strictly adhere to infection control measures by using personal protective equipment such as N95 masks, goggles or face shields, full-body gowns, and double gloves." She also urged, "Additionally, during farming or outdoor activities, please wear long clothing, hats, and socks to minimize exposed skin and use tick repellents to avoid tick bites."
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