Epidemiology of Japanese encephalitis in South Korea, 2007–2010

Summary Background Japanese encephalitis (JE) was the leading cause of viral encephalitis among children in South Korea in the 20th century. This study summarizes recent changes in the epidemiology of JE following the implementation of a vigorous immunization program in the country. Methods Epidemio...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of infectious diseases 2012-06, Vol.16 (6), p.e448-e452
Main Authors: Lee, Dong-Woo, Choe, Young June, Kim, Jong Hee, Song, Kyung Min, Cho, Heeyeon, Bae, Geun-Ryang, Lee, Jong-Koo
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Adult vaccination
Age shift
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Animals
Child
Child, Preschool
Culicidae
Disease Vectors
Encephalitis, Japanese - epidemiology
Encephalitis, Japanese - prevention & control
Epidemiologic Factors
Health Policy
Humans
Immunization Programs - methods
Infant
Infectious Disease
Japanese encephalitis
Japanese Encephalitis Vaccines - administration & dosage
Korea
Middle Aged
Pulmonary/Respiratory
Republic of Korea - epidemiology
Vaccination - methods
Vaccine
Young Adult
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Summary:Summary Background Japanese encephalitis (JE) was the leading cause of viral encephalitis among children in South Korea in the 20th century. This study summarizes recent changes in the epidemiology of JE following the implementation of a vigorous immunization program in the country. Methods Epidemiological investigations were performed for all reported laboratory-confirmed JE cases, and the cumulative incidence was calculated for the surveillance years 2007–2010. Results During the surveillance period, 45 cases of JE were confirmed in the country, resulting in a cumulative incidence of 0.013–0.055 cases per 100 000 population. The median age of cases was 49.4 years, and by age group, 44.4% were aged 40–49 years. Just under a quarter (22.2%) of the cases were found to live close to a pigsty, while 42.2% of the cases were found to reside in the metropolitan areas of Seoul, Incheon, and Gyeonggi-do. None of the cases had a history of vaccination. Conclusions Although JE has traditionally been regarded as a children's disease, the majority of cases now occur in adults in countries where strong immunization programs exist, such as in South Korea. Consideration should be given to an adult vaccination policy in the near future.
ISSN:1201-9712
1878-3511
DOI:10.1016/j.ijid.2012.02.006