The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency issued a warning for Japanese encephalitis nationwide on the 1st. This year's warning for Japanese encephalitis is about a week later than last year due to a reduction in mosquitoes caused by heavy rain.
According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, on the 30th of last month, the small red house mosquito, which transmits Japanese encephalitis, accounted for 60.1% of all mosquitoes, exceeding the warning criteria of 50%. The small red house mosquito is a small mosquito that lives in rice fields, barns, and puddles and is mainly active at night.
The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency issued a cautionary notice for Japanese encephalitis on March 27. The notice is issued when the small red house mosquito is first collected. According to the agency, from the 20th to the 26th of last month, there were an average of 26 Japanese encephalitis vector mosquitoes, lower than the three-year average of 105.
Symptoms of Japanese encephalitis include fever and headache. If the virus spreads to the brain, it can lead to death in severe cases. Even after recovering from symptoms, neurological complications may persist depending on the area of damage.
Japanese encephalitis is preventable by vaccination. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency recommends vaccination for children under 12 years old, especially for those who work in rice fields, barns, or travel to at-risk countries.