Yangju City Issues Third Malaria Alert of the Year in Gyeonggi Province

On July 15, Gyeonggi Provincial Government issued its third malaria alert of the year for Yangju City, following previous alerts for Paju, and Goyang·Yeoncheon.

A malaria alert is issued to prevent the spread of the disease within the community when either the first cluster case occurs after a nationwide malaria advisory has been announced, or when the average daily number of vector mosquitoes reaches 5.0 or more for two consecutive weeks in the same city, county, or district.

This latest alert was issued because the first cluster case occurred in Yangju City after the malaria advisory was announced. A cluster case is defined as two or more patients in a malaria risk area who develop symptoms within 14 days of each other and whose residences are within 1 kilometer of each other.

Within the province, the first alert of the year was issued in Paju City on July 1, followed by the second alert in Goyang City and Yeoncheon County on July 8 of the same month.

Gyeonggi Provincial Government

Gyeonggi Provincial Government plans to conduct an in-depth epidemiological investigation to identify the suspected infection area of the cluster case patients, the mosquito habitat environment in the area, residential inspections, co-exposed individuals, and risk factors.

In Yangju City, concentrated public awareness campaigns will be conducted through the local medical association and pharmacists' association, safety text messages, and media outlets to inform residents and visitors of the possibility of infection. In addition, measures in response to the alert will be actively implemented, including intensive control of the area around patients and vector mosquito habitats, rapid diagnostic testing for early detection, and provision of preventive medication.

Yoo Youngcheol, Director of the Health and Wellness Bureau of Gyeonggi Provincial Government, stated, "In malaria risk areas, vector mosquito control should be strengthened and preventive measures should be followed to avoid mosquito bites," and urged, "In particular, residents or visitors to risk areas who develop suspected malaria symptoms should promptly get tested at a nearby public health center or other medical institution."

As of July 14, a total of 266 domestic malaria cases have been reported this year, according to provisional infectious disease statistics from the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. Of these, Gyeonggi Province accounts for 150 cases, representing 56.4% of the nationwide total.