By Bae Ji-sook
Staff Reporter
With the number of tsutsugamushi disease patients increasing, the government advised people to take extra care during outdoor activities. Tsutsugamushi is a disease resulting from a tick bite.
According to the Korea Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the number of tsutsugamushi patients in 2006 stood at 6,480, about four times that of 1,758 in 2000.
People become ill with the tsutsugamushi disease when bitten by a tick infected with the virus of the same name. After a latent period of 10 days, the patient suffers high fever, blood-shot eyes, headache, muscle ache or rashes.
The disease is curable with antibiotics, but if it is not treated in the early stages, it can result in heart failure or pneumonia. Doctors advised people with flu-like symptoms, along with rashes or ulcers, to immediately consult a physician.
The disease is more common in autumn from early September. But due to global warming effects, the ticks have been found to stay in the field areas for longer periods, Park Hye-kyung, researcher of the center, said. Generally it was farmers working in the fields that were susceptible to the disease, however these days, mountain climbers and outdoor sports players are becoming infected too.
To prevent contact with ticks, the center advised people to not sit on grassy areas and to wear long sleeved garments and socks.