Gyeonggi Province Investigates Cluster Outbreak of EHEC Infection in Namyangju

Gyeonggi Province and the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) Capital Region Disease Response Center are currently conducting an epidemiological investigation after a cluster outbreak of enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) infection was confirmed at a restaurant in Namyangju, following the consumption of yukhoe bibimbap.

EHEC infection is a disease that causes hemorrhagic enteritis due to infection with enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli. It is a representative waterborne and foodborne infectious disease that frequently occurs during the summer months (June to August).

Currently, it is classified as a second-grade infectious disease under the "Infectious Disease Prevention and Control Act." Major symptoms include severe cramping abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, low-grade fever, and diarrhea upon infection.

Symptoms generally improve within 5 to 7 days. However, 10% of patients (mainly children under the age of 10 or the elderly) may develop hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) as a complication, and in such cases, the fatality rate among children can reach 3 to 5%.

Poster of the Six Major Prevention Rules for Waterborne and Foodborne Infectious Diseases

The main routes of infection are the consumption of contaminated food or water, with many cases and outbreaks linked to beef or raw vegetables. Person-to-person transmission is also possible.

According to Gyeonggi Province, among 29 people who ate yukhoe bibimbap at the Namyangju restaurant on June 19, 26 individuals (89.7%) reported symptoms such as diarrhea and muscle pain starting the next day. All affected individuals have since recovered from their symptoms.

Gyeonggi Province and the KDCA Capital Region Disease Response Center are conducting an epidemiological investigation into the restaurant and the beef supplier involved.

Meanwhile, Gyeonggi Province and the KDCA Capital Region Disease Response Center emphasized that waterborne and foodborne infectious diseases have recently surged nationwide with the arrival of summer, and that particular caution is needed as EHEC infections in Gyeonggi Province have more than doubled compared to last year.