Gyeonggi Province issued a malaria alert for Gimpo City on July 16, following previous alerts for Paju, Goyang, Yeoncheon, and Yangju.
A malaria alert is issued to prevent the spread of the disease within the community when the first cluster case occurs after a national malaria advisory has been announced, or when the daily average number of vector mosquitoes in the same city, county, or district is 5.0 or more for two consecutive weeks.
This latest alert was issued in response to the first cluster case reported in Gimpo City after the malaria advisory. A cluster case refers to two or more patients in a malaria risk area whose symptom onset occurs 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 alerts in Goyang City and Yeoncheon County on July 8, and in Yangju City on July 15.
The Gyeonggi Provincial Government plans to conduct an in-depth epidemiological investigation to determine the presumed infection area of the cluster patients, the mosquito breeding environment in the area, residential inspections, common exposure factors, and other risk factors.
Yoo Youngcheol, Director of Health and Wellness at the Gyeonggi Provincial Government, emphasized, "In malaria risk areas, vector mosquito control should be strengthened and preventive measures should be followed to avoid mosquito bites. In particular, residents or visitors to risk areas should promptly get tested at a nearby public health center or medical institution if they develop suspected malaria symptoms."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
