Inje County Appoints Its First Epidemiological Investigator... First at County Level in Gangwon Province

Hwang Hyunkyung, an officer in the Disease Control Division at Inje County Public Health Center, Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province, has been appointed as an epidemiological investigator, becoming the first at the county-level local government in Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province.

Hwang Hyunkyung, an officer in the Disease Control Division at Inje County Public Health Center, Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province, was appointed as an epidemiological investigator, becoming the first at the county-level local government in Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province. Provided by Inje County

This appointment is expected to serve as an opportunity to further enhance the expertise of the region in the prevention and response to infectious diseases, as Hwang becomes the first epidemiological investigator produced by Inje County.

An epidemiological investigator can only be appointed after completing the epidemiological investigator education and training program supervised by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, and fulfilling all qualification requirements through a rigorous process that includes written assessments, surveillance analysis reports, and epidemiological investigation reports.

This program is a nationally accredited training course designed to foster professionals capable of responding quickly and scientifically to outbreaks of infectious diseases,

and it is known to be extremely rare for someone at the county-level local government to obtain this qualification.

Hwang Hyunkyung has accumulated extensive field experience while handling the response to statutory infectious diseases, including COVID-19.

In addition, she has contributed to the management and prevention of infectious diseases in the local community by implementing disease control measures tailored to regional characteristics and conducting systematic outreach education on infectious disease prevention.

Heo Junyong, Director of the Public Health Center, stated, "The appointment of an epidemiological investigator is a significant achievement that elevates our proactive response capabilities to infectious diseases," adding, "We will continue to do our utmost to protect the health and safety of county residents by fostering professional personnel and strengthening our infectious disease response system."

This case in Inje County is being recognized as a proactive example of strengthening infectious disease response capabilities not only in Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province but also at county-level local governments nationwide,

and it is expected to have a positive impact on the advancement of local governments' infectious disease management systems in the future.