S. Korea to launch mosquito control drive to prevent Zika infections
South Korea will launch a nationwide mosquito control drive in the coming months to prevent possible Zika virus infections that can pose health risks for the country, the government said Wednesday.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare said it will step up monitoring of mosquitoes that can spread the virus, check potential habitats where mosquitoes may breed, and start training pest control workers in early March so they can be fully prepared and take preemptive actions to exterminate mosquitoes.
South Korea has so far had no confirmed Zika virus cases.
The government has said the Asian tiger mosquito has been cited for the spread of the virus, and that its control efforts will be centered on this insect. The tiger mosquito becomes active around May.
"A total of 39 areas that can breed large numbers of mosquitoes will be checked from March through October," it said. The number of regions to be checked is up by 17 compared to 2015, with insect control measures to be implemented within the month, much earlier than April, which has been the norm in the past.
Seoul declared the Zika virus a legal infectious disease on Jan. 29, with the World Health Organization saying it is a global health emergency after it spread rapidly through several Latin American countries.
The Zika virus is almost always non-fatal, causing only mild symptoms like fevers, joint and muscle pain, headaches and bloodshot eyes. However, it can cause microcephaly in unborn children, a debilitating condition of a baby being born with an abnormally small head and brain.
"Guidelines to control mosquitoes and ways to prevent the breeding and extermination of the insects will be handed out to government workers within the month," the ministry said.
It added measures will be taken to beef up monitoring of people arriving to countries with Zika virus outbreaks.
Authorities said all airlines and shipping companies will have to provide documentation showing that their planes and vessels were sprayed with insecticide a hour before leaving a country with known Zika cases.
Failure to produce documentation could result in the plane or ship being decontaminated on arrival.
The ministry said people who recently arrived from the 31 countries that have reported Zika virus cases will be told not to give blood for at least a month, with women who traveled to affected countries to put off getting pregnant in the near future.
Of countries reporting outbreaks, Brazil has checked 5,079 suspected cases in the past several weeks, with 41 microcephaly incidents being linked to the Zika virus.
The ministry, meanwhile, said that people showing symptoms of the Zika virus can dial 109 to contact the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which will conduct a medical check-up. (Yonhap)