First case of Japanese encephalitis confirmed in Korea

SEOUL, Sept. 12 (Yonhap) -- South Korean health authorities said Friday that they have confirmed the first case of potentially deadly Japanese encephalitis in the country this year.

The Korea Center for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said a 47-year-old man living in Cheongju, 137 kilometers southeast of Seoul, has been diagnosed as having contracted the virus that is transmitted by mosquitoes.

It said the person started to show initial symptoms like running a fever, having
chills and complaining of chronic fatigue late last months. He then began losing
consciousness coming into September and has since been hospitalized.

"Two separate tests conducted showed that he has been infected by the
Japanese B encephalitis," a KCDC official said.

The disease control center had issued nationwide alert on July 25, after the red
house mosquitoes that transmit the disease were found in large numbers in North
Jeolla Province.

Domestic pigs and wild birds are thought to be directly linked to the
mosquito-borne disease that is harmless in almost all cases.

However, depending on the health condition and age of the person bitten, the
fatality rate can rise sharply.

In 2007, the government confirmed seven cases with one person dying from the
disease.

Worldwide, up to 50,000 cases are reported annually in Southeast and Northeast Asia.

yonngong@yna.co.kr

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