Jung Min-ho has worked as a staff writer at The Korea Times since 2012, mostly covering social and political issues. He currently belongs to the Politics & City Desk where he covers topics such as health, labor and human rights. Prior to joining the team, he was responsible for covering North Korea and sports. His article about a biosecurity breach of Middle East respiratory syndrome won him an award from the Korea Science Journalists Association in 2016. He is also the co-author of the book, "Medical Pioneers of Korea" (2019). He served as the head of the international relations committee at the Journalists Association of Korea from 2021 to 2023.
Health authorities issue advisory over spike in scrub typhus cases
This photo, released Friday by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, shows a trombiculid mite, a carrier of scrub typhus.
By Jung Min-ho
The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency has issued a health advisory following a surge in scrub typhus cases in recent weeks.
According to the agency's data, the number of scrub typhus cases surged to 459 between Oct. 27 and Nov. 2, up from 58 between Oct. 13 and 19, raising concerns about the mite-borne disease caused by the bacteria Orientia tsutsugamushi.
“Given that trombiculid mite larvae (chiggers), which can transmit Orientia tsutsugamushi, are active from September to November and more than 50 percent of cases are concentrated in November, extra caution is needed to prevent chigger bites,” the disease agency said in a statement.
Symptoms of scrub typhus usually begin 10 days after infection. Signs and symptoms include fever, chills, headaches, body aches, muscle pain and a scab-like region at the site of the bite. If left untreated, it can be fatal and may lead to organ damage and other severe conditions.
The fatality rate among the cases in Korea is 0.3 percent or lower, according to officials. But given that no vaccine is available for the disease, it is important to reduce the infection risk by avoiding high-risk areas such as bush areas and wood piles during certain periods of the year, the agency said, adding the disease is treatable with antibiotics.