Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency recommends leaving the country after vaccination when traveling abroad
“If there are symptoms such as fever or rash, measles is suspected.”
Last year, 49 measles cases occurred in Korea, the largest number since 2019. As measles is prevalent worldwide, the government has urged people to get the measles vaccine if they are preparing to travel abroad.
According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency on the 6th, measles is prevalent worldwide, and in Korea last month, two travelers who visited Southeast Asia were confirmed to have measles.
Last year, a total of 49 measles cases occurred in Korea, and all of them were infected after traveling abroad or coming into contact with a patient. In particular, among these patients was an infant under 1 year old who had traveled overseas with his parents. If an infant contracts measles while their immune system is weak, there is a high risk of complications such as pneumonia, otitis media, and encephalitis.
The number of measles patients in Korea was 194 in 2019, followed by 6 in 2020, 0 in 2021-2022, 8 in 2023, and 49 last year.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), as of the 11th of last month, the number of measles patients worldwide was approximately 310,000 last year. By region, Europe had the most cases (104,849 people), followed by the Middle East (88,748 people). There were also many measles cases in Southeast Asia (32,838 people) and the Western Pacific region (9,207 people), which many Koreans visit.
Looking at the number of measles patients in Western Pacific countries from January to November last year, the Philippines had the highest number of people with 3,686, followed by Malaysia (3,574), China (939), Vietnam (852), Korea (47), Australia (44), This was followed by Japan (38 people), Mongolia (12 people), Singapore (10 people), and Cambodia (4 people).
Measles is a highly contagious respiratory infection that spreads through the air through coughing or sneezing. When infected, fever, rash, and grayish-white spots in the mouth appear. If people with insufficient immunity come into contact with the patient, more than 90% of them can become infected.
However, since vaccination is sufficient for prevention, the measles vaccine (MMR) must be administered twice, at 12 to 15 months of age and 4 to 6 years of age. 93% prevention is possible with the first vaccination and 97% with the second vaccination.
Additionally, if you have symptoms such as fever or rash when entering the country after travel, you must report it to a quarantine officer. If symptoms appear after arriving at your residence, you should minimize contact with people around you by wearing a mask, refraining from public transportation and visiting multiple facilities, and first visit a medical institution and inform the medical staff that you have traveled overseas.
Director Ji Young-mi of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency emphasized, “As most of the imported measles patients in Korea have not been vaccinated or do not know their vaccination history, it is most important to complete two doses of vaccine to prevent measles.”
He continued, “As overseas travel is expected to increase during the upcoming Lunar New Year holiday and winter vacation, make sure you have received both doses of the measles vaccine before traveling. If you have not received the second dose or are uncertain whether you have been vaccinated, get the measles vaccine 4 to 6 weeks before departure. “Please complete the two-shot vaccination,” he recommended.
He said, “Unvaccinated people and infants under 1 year old should refrain from visiting countries where measles is prevalent, and if a visit is unavoidable, infants and young children are recommended to receive an accelerated measles vaccination,” adding, “Even medical institutions should not visit patients with fever or rash. “If you have a history of overseas travel to a country where measles is prevalent, you should suspect measles and proactively get tested and report to the local public health center,” he said.
(Sejong = Newsis)
Source: www.donga.com
