South Korea whooping cough epidemic update
In a follow-up on the national pertussis, or whooping cough epidemic in South Korea, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) reports 6,986 total cases as of July 6.
The number of cases of whooping cough has increased significantly since mid-April this year, and has been rising sharply since June, showing signs of a nationwide epidemic.
By region, the highest incidence occurred in Gyeonggi (1,594 people, 22.8%), followed by Gyeongnam (1,455 people, 20.8%), Incheon (946 people, 13.5%), and Seoul (678 people, 9.7%).
Most of the patients (92%) are children ages 7 to 19.
21 percent of cases required hospitalization for their illness.
The KDCA confirmed that pertussis bacteria (Bordetella pertussis) and a closely related species (Bordetella holmesii) are prevalent at the same time.
Director Young-mi Ji of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency stated, “We will actively respond to the outbreak by actively accepting the opinions of experts in the medical field, closely monitoring the epidemic situation, promptly conducting a public (National Institute of Environmental Research) analysis of all positive pertussis specimens from private medical institutions, and also promoting domestic immunity analysis.
“Considering that the epidemic is spreading mainly among children and adolescents, parents and teachers should actively guide children to practice cough etiquette, such as washing hands and wearing masks, in their daily lives,” they emphasized, “Do not miss the timely vaccination (2-4-6 months after birth) and additional vaccination (15-18 months, 4-6 years, 11-12 years) for infants under 1 year of age who are most likely to develop severe symptoms if infected, and ensure that high-risk groups such as those with chronic lung disease, caregivers for infants, adults aged 65 years or older, and pregnant women (3rd period) are vaccinated against pertussis (Tdap), and those aged 11-12 years (6th vaccination target), who have a relatively low vaccination rate in the national vaccination plan, are also vaccinated at the right time”, he continued.
Subscribe to Outbreak News TV on YouTube
This year, the spread of whooping cough has been reported not only in South Korea but also worldwide. As of July 6, 7,847 patients were reported in the US, an increase of about 3.2 times compared to the same period last year (2,425 patients), and in the UK, 7,599 patients were reported in England as of the end of May, an increase of about 2.9 times compared to the same period last year (2,591 patients), and among them, 522 cases (6.8% of the total) were under 1 year old, and 8 died.
In the European Union, a total of 32,037 cases were reported in the first three months of this year, exceeding the cumulative total for the entire year 2023 (25,130 cases), and 11 infant deaths were reported in 17 of the 30 EU countries.
Regarding this, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) emphasize that whooping cough occurs in cycles of 3 to 5 years and that it is most important for infants under 1 year of age to receive 3 basic vaccinations at the right time.