Korea Urges Infection Prevention Ahead of Lunar New Year Holiday

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) urged the public to follow personal hygiene guidelines to prevent respiratory and waterborne/foodborne infections ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday. The agency determined that basic infection prevention could be crucial for health during the holiday period, as group gatherings and travel increase due to family reunions and trips.

"During the Lunar New Year holiday, please thoroughly follow basic guidelines such as wearing masks and washing hands," the KDCA said on January 9. "Overseas travelers and high-risk groups in particular should pay special attention to infection prevention."

The KDCA has designated 24 countries and regions, including the United States, China, Mexico, and Vietnam, as priority quarantine management areas to prevent the inflow of overseas infectious diseases. Travelers entering Korea after visiting or staying in these areas must submit a Q-CODE (or health questionnaire) and report their health status to quarantine officers. Starting January 10, free respiratory infection testing will be provided at quarantine stations in airports and seaports nationwide for incoming travelers with respiratory symptoms such as fever, cough, or sore throat.

The agency warned that the risk of waterborne and foodborne infections could increase domestically during the holiday due to food consumption and prolonged room-temperature food storage. Norovirus infections, which are prevalent during winter, continue to rise. According to the KDCA, norovirus cases in the fifth week of this year (January 25-31) reached 709, nearly double the 354 cases in the first week. Children aged six and under account for 45.1% of all cases, making prevention of person-to-person transmission critical.

For prevention, the KDCA recommends washing hands with soap for at least 30 seconds after returning home or before meals, and cooking food thoroughly at 85 degrees Celsius or higher for at least one minute after washing under running water. Those with diarrhea or vomiting should stop preparing food and visit a medical facility. If two or more people show the same symptoms after consuming the same food, they should immediately report to a public health center.

During overseas travel, caution is also needed against bacillary dysentery and cholera, which are transmitted through contaminated water and food. These diseases cause high fever, vomiting, abdominal pain, and diarrhea, with cholera potentially leading to dehydration and hypovolemic shock in some patients. Travelers with suspicious symptoms upon entry should be tested at national quarantine stations and must inform healthcare providers of their overseas travel history when visiting medical facilities after returning.

To prevent mosquito-borne diseases such as malaria and dengue fever from overseas, wearing long-sleeved clothing and using mosquito repellent during travel is recommended. Rapid dengue fever test kits are available at national quarantine stations nationwide, and those who test positive must receive confirmatory testing at medical facilities.

Meanwhile, influenza is spreading again, primarily Type B. According to KDCA sentinel surveillance, the influenza-like illness rate in the fifth week was 47.5 per 1,000 outpatients, showing an increase for over a month. "Even if you were infected with Type A during the early flu season this winter, you can still be infected with Type B," said KDCA Commissioner Lim Seung-kwan. "If you have respiratory symptoms during the Lunar New Year holiday, please refrain from going out and follow prevention guidelines."