By Kwon Mee-yoo
The number of patients infected with malaria jumped nearly 60 percent from a year earlier to 165 in the first seven months of the year. It is also nearly 50 percent higher than the three-year average of 111.
Over the last few years the number of malaria patients has fluctuated ― 494 in 2000, 136 in 2004, 313 in 2007 and 178 in 2009.
In Korea, most patients are diagnosed with Plasmodium vivax malaria, which spreads via the female Anopheles mosquito. The incubation period of the disease ranges from a week to 12 months.
The symptoms of Plasmodium vivax malaria include a fever and chills, accompanied by headaches and diarrhea.
The Anopheles mosquitoes inhabit stagnant water in rice paddies or thickets and were found in 22 places spanning Incheon City, Gyeonggi and Gangwon Province.
"We are reinforcing quarantine regulations against malaria in Eunpyeong, Yangcheon, Gangseo and Guro Districts close to the malaria danger zones," a city official said. "Watch out for mosquitoes when visiting those areas."