Malaria Alert Issued for Yeoncheon County on September 9 Following Paju, Gimpo, and Goyang

Gyeonggi Province issued a malaria alert for Yeoncheon County on September 9, following earlier alerts for Paju, Gimpo, and Goyang.

The malaria alert is issued to prevent outbreaks in the community either when the first cluster of cases occurs after the nationwide malaria advisory is declared, or when the average daily number of vector mosquitoes in the same city, county, or district exceeds 5.0 for two consecutive weeks.

This latest alert is a response to the first malaria cluster reported in Yeoncheon County since the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) issued a nationwide advisory on June 22. A cluster case is defined as two or more patients in a malaria-risk area developing symptoms within a 14-day interval and living within a 1 km distance from each other.

In Gyeonggi Province, the first malaria alert of the year was issued for Paju on July 9, followed by alerts for Gimpo on August 3 and for Goyang on August 21.

Gyeonggi Provincial Government

Gyeonggi Provincial Government plans to conduct an in-depth epidemiological investigation to identify the suspected sites of infection, the mosquito breeding environments in those areas, the surroundings of the patients' residences, common exposure factors, and other relevant risks.

To detect additional cases early in Yeoncheon County, authorities will launch an intensive public awareness campaign through local doctors’ and pharmacists’ associations. Residents and visitors will be notified of the infection risk via safety text alerts and mass media. Authorities will also carry out targeted vector control in patient surroundings and mosquito breeding sites, rapid diagnostic testing for early detection, and provide preventive medication in line with the alert response protocol.

Yoo Yeongcheol, Director-General of Health and Wellness at Gyeonggi Province, stated, “In malaria risk areas, mosquito control must be strengthened and preventive guidelines should be strictly followed to avoid mosquito bites. Residents and visitors in high-risk areas experiencing suspected symptoms of malaria should promptly visit a public health center or medical facility for testing.”

According to the Infectious Disease Portal of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (dportal.kdca.go.kr), as of September 9, there have been a total of 295 reported cases of malaria nationwide this year. Gyeonggi Province accounts for 163 cases, which is approximately 55% of the total.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.