Inter-Ministry Infectious Disease Control Committee... Discussion on joint response plans for SFTS and others

(Seoul=Yonhap News) Reporter Go Yu-sun = The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency and the Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency announced that they held the second Inter-Ministerial Committee on Zoonotic Diseases this year on the 17th, with the presence of related ministries and private sector experts. The committee is an inter-agency cooperation organization that has been operating since 2004 to prevent and manage zoonotic diseases transmitted between humans and animals. During the meeting, the committee discussed management and response plans for severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) among related ministries. SFTS is a zoonotic disease that is mainly contracted by being bitten by a chigger carrying the virus, with symptoms such as high fever (38-40°C), vomiting, and diarrhea appearing within two weeks of the bite. Although the fatality rate is high at 18.5%, there is no vaccine or treatment available. As of the end of November this year, there have been 264 patients, a 55.3% increase from the previous year. In June, a second cluster infection of SFTS occurred at a medical institution in Chungbuk Province, and cases of transmission from animals to humans have also been reported. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, together with the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and local governments, has checked risk factors for SFTS and plans to strengthen inter-agency cooperation by preparing a multi-agency joint epidemiological survey manual based on this. Participants in the meeting also discussed zoonotic diseases related to companion animals. In particular, they shared the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs' plan to mandate testing at the distribution stage of companion animals in relation to brucellosis and agreed that related ministries should work together organically. Director Im Seung-kwan of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said, "Related ministries will establish a flawless national prevention system to protect the safe daily lives of the people." cindy@yna.co.kr