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Misattribution of Korea’s malaria elimination status in 1979
Roma Seol, Youngtaek Kim
Epidemiol Health. 2025;47:e2025070.   Published online December 10, 2025
DOI: https://doi.org/10.4178/epih.e2025070
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AbstractAbstract AbstractSummary PDF
Abstract
This study aimed to trace the origin and propagation of the common but incorrect belief that the World Health Organization (WHO) declared Republic of Korea (ROK) malaria-free in 1979. We conducted a source-based historical review of WHO <i>Weekly Epidemiological Record</i> (WER), regional reports from WHO’s Western Pacific Regional Office (WPRO), United States Department of Defense (DoD) health reports, and scholarly and web-based citations. WHO WER 1981 identified the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) as one of the countries that had eliminated malaria by 1979. WHO/WPRO, to which ROK belongs, reported that malaria had not been eliminated in ROK as of 1980. Misinterpretations within United States DoD documents incorrectly attributed this certification to ROK, resulting in widespread citation errors across academic literature and online sources. The misattribution of DPRK’s elimination status to ROK derives from a misreading of WHO records and has persisted for decades through repeated, unverified citations. Strengthening source accuracy and citation practices is essential for ensuring reliability in global health reporting.
Summary
Korean summary
- WHO는 1979년에 대한민국을 말라리아 퇴치국으로 인증한 바 없으며, 해당 인증은 북한에만 적용되었다. - 이 잘못된 통념은 WHO 문헌의 오해석과 미국 국방부 문헌을 통한 반복 인용으로 학술 문헌과 온라인 자료 전반에 확산되었다.
Key Message
-The World Health Organization did not certify the Republic of Korea as malaria-free in 1979; this status applied exclusively to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. -This persistent misconception originated from misinterpretation of WHO records and was amplified through U.S. Department of Defense publications and repeated citations.
Original Article
Application of the World Health Organization Quality of Life Instrument, Short Form (WHOQOL-BREF) to patients with cataract
Ali Gholami, Mahmood Tavakoli Araghi, Fatemeh Shamsabadi, Mahdiye Bayat, Fatemeh Dabirkhani, Farhad Moradpour, Kamyar Mansori, Yousef Moradi, Abdolhalim Rajabi
Epidemiol Health. 2016;38:e2016005.   Published online February 4, 2016
DOI: https://doi.org/10.4178/epih.e2016005
  • 37,608 View
  • 407 Download
  • 18 Web of Science
  • 18 Crossref
AbstractAbstract PDF
Abstract
OBJECTIVES
Cataract is a prevalent disease in the elderly, and negatively influences patients’ quality of life. This study was conducted to study the application of the World Health Organization Quality of Life Instrument, Short Form (WHOQOL-BREF) to patients with cataract.
METHODS
In this cross-sectional study, 300 patients with cataract were studied in Neyshabur, Iran from July to October 2014. The Iranian version of the WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire was used to measure their quality of life. Cronbach’s alpha coefficient, Pearson’s correlation coefficient, the paired t-test, the independent t-test, and a linear regression model were used to analyze the data in SPSS version 16.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA).
RESULTS
The mean age of the participants was 68.11±11.98 years, and most were female (53%). The overall observed Cronbach’s alpha coefficient for the WHOQOL-BREF was 0.889, ranging from 0.714 to 0.810 in its four domains. The total mean score of the respondents on the WHOQOL-BREF was 13.19. The highest and lowest mean scores were observed in the social relationship domain (14.11) and the physical health domain (12.29), respectively. A backward multiple linear regression model found that duration of disease and marital status were associated with total WHOQOL scores, while age, duration of disease, marital status, and income level were associated with domains one through four, respectively (p<0.05).
CONCLUSIONS
The reliability analysis conducted in this study indicated that the WHOQOL-BREF scale exhibited an acceptable degree of internal consistency in the measurement of the quality of life of patients with cataract. It was also found that the patients with cataract who were surveyed reported a relatively moderate quality of life.
Summary

Citations

Citations to this article as recorded by  
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