Epidemiological characteristics of imported malaria related to international travel in the Republic of Korea from 2009 to 2018.

Malaria, transmitted by mosquitoes infected with Plasmodium parasites, remains a significant health issue with global travel increasing the risk of imported malaria. This study investigates imported malaria cases in the Republic of Korea from 2009 to 2018 using data from the Korea National Infectious Disease Surveillance System. During this period, 601 imported cases were reported, with 82.

An Epidemiological Analysis of 28 Vivax Malaria Cases in Gimpo-si, Korea, 2020.

Since 1993, vivax malaria has been recognized as a public health burden in Korea. Despite of pan-governmental malaria-control efforts and the dramatic reduction in the burden of this disease over the last 10 years, vivax malaria has not been well controlled and has remained continuously endemic. We focused interviewed and examined the charts of 28 confirmed vivax malaria patients given malarial therapy for whom daily records were kept from Gimpo-si, Gyeonggido of Korea.

Contact Tracing during Coronavirus Disease Outbreak, South Korea, 2020.

We analyzed reports for 59,073 contacts of 5,706 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) index patients reported in South Korea during January 20-March 27, 2020. Of 10,592 household contacts, 11.8% had COVID-19.

Exposure to phthalates aggravates pulmonary function and airway inflammation in asthmatic children.

Introduction: Studies on the associations between phthalate exposures and respiratory outcomes are limited. We investigated the association of phthalates exposure with pulmonary function and airway inflammation in asthmatic children.

Methods: Fifty-six children with asthma living in Seoul Metropolitan Area, Korea aged 6-16 years were enrolled.

Spectrum of susceptibility to air quality and weather in individual children with atopic dermatitis.

Background: Exposure to air pollution aggravates symptoms of atopic dermatitis (AD) in children in the population studies. Variability in individual patient's response from individual susceptibility is needed to be explored.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate spectrum of individual variability in the associations between AD symptoms and air quality.

Burden of Disease Attributable to Inadequate Drinking Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene in Korea.

Background: Diarrheal and intestinal infectious disease caused by inadequate drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) is not only a great concern in developing countries but also a problem in low-income populations and rural areas in developed countries. In this study, we assessed the exposure to inadequate WASH in Korea and estimated the burden of disease attributable to inadequate WASH.

Methods: We used observational data on water supply, drinking water, sewage treatment rate, and hand washing to assess inadequate WASH conditions in Korea, and estimated the level of exposure in the entire population.

The direction of restructuring of a Korea field epidemiology training program through questionnaire survey among communicable disease response staff in Korea.

We used a survey about the need for an educational training of infectious disease response staff in Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) and officer in metropolitan cities and provincial government to conduct field epidemiological investigation. The survey was conducted from January 25 to March 15, 2016. A total of 173 participants were selected from four different groups as follows: 27 clinical specialists, 22 Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) officers, 82 KCDC staff, and 42 local health department officials.

Short-term effects of weather and air pollution on atopic dermatitis symptoms in children: A panel study in Korea.

Introduction: The effects of weather and air pollution on the severity and persistence of atopic dermatitis (AD) are important issues that have not been investigated in detail. The objective of our study was to determine the short-term effects of meteorological variables and air pollution on AD symptoms in children.

Methods: We enrolled 177 AD patients with 5 years or younger from the Seoul Metropolitan Area, Korea, and followed for 17 months between August 2013 and December 2014.

Exposure to phthalates and bisphenol A are associated with atopic dermatitis symptoms in children: a time-series analysis.

Background: Despite increasing evidence on the relationship between exposure to phthalates and bisphenol A with allergies and asthma, reports on atopic dermatitis (AD) with these chemicals are few. We assessed the association between AD symptoms and the exposure to phthalates and bisphenol A and in children.

Methods: We surveyed 18 boys with AD (age 3-7 years) in a day care center in Seoul between May 2009 and April 2010.

Estimation of the size of the iatrogenic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease outbreak associated with cadaveric dura mater grafts in Korea.

Objectives: This study estimated the overall incidence of iatrogenic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (iCJD) based on dura graft cases in Korea using a mathematical model.

Methods: We estimated the number of annual dura grafts performed between 1980 and 1995 by applying the proportion of dura grafts recorded by the Health Insurance Review Agency claim dataset in Korea to the number of nationwide neurosurgery cases. The distribution of the incubation period was assumed to fall under a Weibull distribution with density function or a log-logistic distribution with density function.

Comparison of diverse estimation methods for personal exposure to air pollutants and associations with allergic symptoms: The Allergy & Gene-Environment Link (ANGEL) study.

We estimated the exposure to ambient air pollutants and analyzed the associations with allergic diseases. We enrolled 177 children with atopic dermatitis (AD) and 70 asthmatic adults living in Seoul Metropolitan Area, Korea, and followed for 17months between August 2013 and December 2014. Parents or patients recorded symptom scores on a daily basis.

Frequency of humidifier and humidifier disinfectant usage in gyeonggi provine.

Objectives: This study is a cross-sectional study to investigate the frequency of humidifier and humidifier disinfectant usage in the general population.

Methods: A questionnaire was applied to 94 subjects (46 male, 48 female) from the general population of Gyeonggi Province. The questionnaire consisted of 3 scales (general characteristics, 5 items about humidifier usage, 5 items about humidifier disinfectant usage).