Epidemiology and Health

Original Articles

Characteristics of imported and domestic malaria cases in Gyeonggi Province, Korea: Sunghee Hong, Jihye Kim, Soo-Nam Jo, Jong-Hun Kim, Boyoung Park, Bo Youl choi; Epidemiol Health. 2024;46:e2024087. Published online November 8, 2024; DOI: https://doi.org/10.4178/epih.e2024087

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Abstract Summary PDF: Abstract
OBJECTIVES
This study explored 11 years of malaria data from mandatory reporting in Gyeonggi Province, Korea, to provide information for prevention strategies by linkage to nationwide health claims data.
METHODS
Reported malaria cases in Gyeonggi Province from 2011 to 2021 were linked to medical usage data from the National Health Insurance Database. Data about hospitalization, antibiotic prescription and duration, malarial species, and sociodemographic information of the cases were included.
RESULTS
Between 2011 and 2021, a total of 3,011 malaria cases were reported, consisting of 2,828 domestic (93.9%) and 183 imported (6.1%) cases. Over 80% of the cases involved males, with the majority of patients being in their 20s. Both domestic and imported cases peaked between June and August over the years. Imported cases had a higher hospitalization rate (66.9%) compared to domestically-acquired cases (54.9%). There was a significant variation in treatment rates, with 80.7% of imported cases and 74.6% of domestic cases receiving treatment. For domestic cases, chloroquine combined with primaquine was the most commonly prescribed treatment (77.0%), while atovaquone-proguanil was frequently used for imported cases (25.9%). Plasmodium vivax was the predominant species in domestic cases (94.9%), whereas P. malariae was more common in imported cases (62.3%). The overall number of reported malaria cases declined following a sharp decrease in imported cases in 2020 and 2021.
CONCLUSIONS
Despite a decreasing trend in malaria cases reported in Gyeonggi Province, imported cases exhibited higher hospitalization rates and different antibiotic prescription and treatment patterns, reflecting the presence of a different malarial species.; Summary

Korean summary
- 2011년부터 2021년까지 경기도에서 보고된 말라리아 사례 중 94%는 국내 발생이었으며, 80% 이상이 남성이었습니다. - 국내 발생은 20대에서 가장 많았으며, Plasmodium vivax가 주요 원인균으로 확인되었습니다. - 해외 유입 사례는 Plasmodium malariae가 지배적이며, 더 높은 입원율과 치료율을 보였습니다.

Key Message
- Between 2011 and 2021, 94% of malaria cases reported in Gyeonggi Province were domestically acquired, with over 80% of cases involving male patients. - Domestic cases were most common among individuals in their 20s, with Plasmodium vivax being the dominant species. - Imported cases primarily involved Plasmodium malariae, which showed higher hospitalization and treatment rates.

Effect of the human papillomavirus vaccine on the risk of genital warts: a nationwide cohort study of Korean adolescent girls: Jaeyoung Cho, Eun Mi Kim, Jihye Kim, Ju-Young Shin, Eui Hyeok Kim, Jong Heon Park, Seunghyun Lewis Kwon, Geun-Yong Kwon, Soon-Ae Shin, Jaiyong Kim; Epidemiol Health. 2024;46:e2024040. Published online March 18, 2024; DOI: https://doi.org/10.4178/epih.e2024040

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Abstract Summary PDF Supplementary Material

Abstract

OBJECTIVES
The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination administered to adolescent girls through Korea’s National Immunization Program.

METHODS

This retrospective cohort study included patients who were 12-13 years old, whether vaccinated or unvaccinated, between July 2016 and December 2017. The incidence of genital warts (GWs) was monitored through 2021. Time-stratified hazard ratios (HRs) were estimated, adjusting for birth year, socioeconomic status, and the level of urbanization of the region, and were presented with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Data were sourced from the Immunization Registry Integration System, linked with the National Health Information Database.

RESULTS

The study included 332,062 adolescent girls, with an average follow-up period of approximately 4.6 years. Except for the first year, the HRs for the vaccinated group were lower than those for the unvaccinated group. The HRs for specific cut-off years were as follows: year 2, 0.62 (95% CI, 0.31 to 1.13); year 3, 0.58 (95% CI, 0.35 to 0.96); and year 4 and beyond, 0.39 (95% CI, 0.28 to 0.52).

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings indicate that HPV vaccination was associated with a reduction in the risk of GWs among adolescent girls. Notably, this reduction became significant as the incidence of GWs increased with age.

Summary

Korean summary
이 연구는 후향적 코호트 연구로써, HPV 예방접종이 한국의 여자 청소년에서 생식기사마귀 질환의 위험을 감소시키는 것과 연관성이 있다는 것을 보여주었다. 따라서 단기적으로 한국의 국가예방접종 사업은 생식기사마귀 질환에 있어 효과가 있었다고 볼 수 있다. 향후에는 전암성 병변 또는 암 등과 같은 심각한 질환에 대한 백신의 영향을 확인할 필요가 있다.

Key Message
In this retrospective cohort study, our results demonstrated that HPV vaccination is associated with a reduction in the risk of GWs among adolescent girls. In the short term, the NIP of Korea can be considered effective in providing protection against GWs. Future studies need to analyze the impact of vaccines on more serious diseases such as precancerous lesions or cancer.

Citations

Citations to this article as recorded by

Effect of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination on HPV infection and recurrence of HPV related disease after local surgical treatment: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Qinxue Cao, Yantao Hou, Chaoyang Wang, Juntao Yin, Mehmet Demirci
PLOS ONE.2024; 19(12): e0312128. CrossRef

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