Parasites in South Korea: Officials reports slight increase in intestinal parasites this year
The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) shared the results of the 2024 Intestinal Parasite* Infection Survey and discuss management and improvement measures.
The 2024 Intestinal Parasite Infection Survey was conducted under the supervision of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, in cooperation with local public health centers and the Korea Health Management Association, targeting 26,958 residents of 39 cities and counties in prevalent areas around the Five Major Rivers- Han River, Nakdong River, Geumgang River, Seomjin River and the Yeongsan River.
The results of the survey showed that the overall intestinal parasite infection rate (4.5%) and the infection rate of the carcinogenic pathogen liver fluke (2.3%) increased slightly compared to the previous year, but the overall downward trend continued. The infection rates by parasite were liver fluke 2.3%, intestinal fluke 1.9%, whipworm 0.2%, and the largemouth fluke 0.1%.
The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency has been continuously promoting management projects with local governments since 2005 to reduce the rate of parasitic infection among residents in areas where intestinal parasites are prevalent, and has shown results in that the rate of intestinal parasite infection, which was over 10% on average at the beginning of the project, has recently decreased to below 5%.
However, as some areas in the Nakdong River and Seomjin River basins (Hadong-gun, Gurye-gun, and Andong-si) still have high infection rates of over 10%, it was confirmed that active efforts are needed to eradicate intestinal parasites, such as intensive investigations in these areas and promotion of improved eating habits.
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Director Young-mi Jee of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said, “In order to accelerate the reduction of intestinal parasites such as liver flukes in endemic areas, we will actively cooperate with local governments, including conducting a comprehensive survey of residents in some areas with high infection rates, to prevent infections and further strengthen the surveillance system.”