"Beware Of Ticks"... Goseong County Conducts Tick-Borne Infectious Disease Prevention Education

Prevention Comes First, Before and After Outdoor Activities
Tick-Blocking Guidelines Must Be Put Into Practice

Goseong County in South Gyeongsang Province will conduct tick-borne infectious disease prevention education and publicity from the 23rd to the 28th for about 660 farmers at the Agricultural Technology Center education hall, ahead of the full-scale farming season and in order to prevent tick-borne infectious diseases.

Goseong-gun conducts education on prevention of tick-borne infectious diseases.

This education program has been prepared to preemptively block the occurrence of tick-borne infectious diseases such as scrub typhus and Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome (SFTS), in preparation for the period when farm work and outdoor activities increase.

Scrub typhus is transmitted when a person is bitten by the larva of a trombiculid mite. After an incubation period of 1 to 3 weeks following infection, symptoms such as chills, fever, and headache appear. In particular, because it is often accompanied by a high fever and can easily be mistaken for a common cold, extra caution is required.

Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome (SFTS) is a viral disease that occurs when a person is bitten by the longhorned tick (Haemaphysalis longicornis) carrying the SFTS virus, and it presents with symptoms such as high fever, headache, vomiting, and diarrhea. The fatality rate reaches about 20%, and since there is currently no treatment or preventive vaccine, prevention is of paramount importance.

Through this education, the Goseong County Public Health Center plans to focus on providing guidance on the following: minimizing skin exposure during outdoor activities by wearing long-sleeved shirts, long pants, and socks; showering immediately and washing work clothes after returning home; and proper use of tick repellents.

Public Health Center Director Lee Eulhoi said, "The risk of tick-borne infectious diseases can be sufficiently reduced simply by observing preventive guidelines," and urged, "Please strictly follow personal hygiene rules before and after farm work or outdoor activities, and if you develop any suspected symptoms of a tick-borne infectious disease, visit a medical institution immediately."

Meanwhile, the Public Health Center plans to continue carrying out prevention education and publicity tailored to the seasonal characteristics of infectious disease occurrence, and to do its best to protect the health of county residents.