Gyeonggi Province Urges Caution on Tick-Borne Diseases During Agricultural Work and Outdoor Activities
Gyeonggi Province has urged residents to comply with tick-borne disease prevention measures as outdoor activities increase during the season marked by agricultural work such as rice paddies and field operations, weeding and harvesting, as well as outdoor activities including grave maintenance and mountain climbing.
Tick-borne diseases such as severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS), scrub typhus, and Lyme disease concentrate between April and November when agricultural work and outdoor activities are most active.
Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is a Class 3 notifiable infectious disease transmitted through bites from infected hard ticks carrying the virus. After an incubation period of 5 to 14 days, symptoms may include high fever, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle pain, and chills. In severe cases, the disease can lead to decreased platelets and white blood cells as well as multiple organ failure.
Currently, neither preventive vaccines nor treatments are available, making prevention all the more important.
According to test results by Gyeonggi Province Institute of Health and Environment, which examined 204 suspected SFTS cases from January to August this year, 12 cases tested positive, recording a positive rate of 5.9 percent. While the number of tests decreased 10.5 percent compared to the same period last year, positive cases increased from 10 to 12. Among positive patients, those aged 50 and above accounted for 75 percent (9 cases), requiring special attention during agricultural work and outdoor activities among middle-aged and elderly individuals.
During outdoor activities, it is advisable to wear long sleeves, long pants, gloves, and socks to minimize skin exposure and use tick repellents. Do not remove clothes or lie down on grassy areas, and use designated hiking trails when mountain climbing. After work or outdoor activities, immediately wash the clothes worn and shower while thoroughly checking areas where ticks are likely to attach such as hair, around the ears, armpits, waist, and behind the knees. If a tick is attached to the body, do not crush it by hand but remove it with tweezers and seek medical care at a healthcare facility.
The Gyeonggi Province Agricultural Research and Extension Services distributed 1,830 prevention brochures and 1,680 tick repellents from April onward to provide prevention education to provincial farmers with significant outdoor activities during the farming season. Furthermore, prevention measures are continuously communicated through agricultural work safety managers and heat illness prevention personnel.
Kim Myeong-gil, director of the Infectious Disease Research Division at Gyeonggi Province Institute of Health and Environment, stated, "Not all people bitten by hard ticks become infected, and only some ticks carry the virus, so it is important to follow prevention measures carefully rather than becoming overly anxious. As fall approaches, there are many opportunities for tick exposure not only during agricultural work but also during grave maintenance, grave visits, and mountain climbing, so please make sure to practice prevention measures before and after outdoor activities."
천의현 대표이사 euihyun@suwonilbo.kr