The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced on the 15th that it will check the current status of whooping cough and collect expert opinions. As of the 6th, the number of whooping cough patients this year is 6,986 and the epidemic is spreading nationwide. It is necessary to pay attention to whooping cough and closely related species (different species belonging to one genetically similar genus) as they are prevalent at the same time.

The number of whooping cough patients has increased since mid-April this year, and the number has increased sharply since last month. By age group, those aged 13 to 19 accounted for the most with 59.1 percent. Then, those aged 7 to 12 accounted for 32.9 percent. By region, Gyeonggi Province accounted for 22.8 percent, South Gyeongsang Province 20.8 percent, Incheon 13.5 percent, and Seoul 9.7 percent.
According to an epidemiological survey of 2,173 patients who reported whooping cough, 99.4 percent of them showed symptoms of coughing. Paroxysmal cough (21.5 percent) and wheezing (16.7 percent) were also confirmed. The average age of the patients was 16.1 years old, and it took 3.8 days on average from the date of symptom onset to diagnosis. 21.6 percent of the patients were hospitalized.

This year, the spread of whooping cough is reported not only in Korea but also around the world. As of the 6th, 7,846 patients were reported in the United States. The figure is about 3.2 times higher than the same period last year. In the UK, 7,599 patients were reported in England by the end of May. In the European Union, 32,037 cases were reported during the first quarter of this year. It was more than the cumulative incidence last year. In addition, 11 infants have died in 17 out of 30 European countries.

In Korea, pertussis bacteria and related species are in vogue at the same time. A private testing agency recently collected samples that reported positive for pertussis bacteria and analyzed them through gene amplification tests, and found that among the reported samples, 68 percent of them were found to be pertussis bacteria, 24.7 percent of them were Homozyme bacteria, and 6.4 percent were found to be Bordetella bacteria. Homozyme and other Bordetella bacteria are related species to pertussis bacteria.
In response, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) transferred the method of testing related species to city and provincial health and environment researchers nationwide to accurately identify whooping cough bacteria and related species. As a result, city and provincial health and environment researchers nationwide are able to test not only whooping cough bacteria but also related species. In addition, medical institutions are advised to request testing from city and provincial health and environment researchers in order to further check whether they are related to whooping cough.

Experts said that although the overall incidence in Korea has increased, there is no need to be overly anxious considering that the incidence of high-risk groups under the age of 1 is very small and that the vaccination rate in Korea is high. However, it is important to wear a mask and receive medical treatment quickly if symptoms arise after coughing or contacting a confirmed patient for more than a week. He also said that for rapid treatment, it is necessary to use a public analysis system that can classify pertussis bacteria and related species to ensure that follow-up measures such as accurate diagnosis and treatment are carried out. It also emphasized timely vaccination of infants under the age of 1.

Ji Young-mi, head of the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said, "We will actively respond to the trend by actively accepting the opinions of experts in the medical field, closely monitoring the epidemic situation, quickly conducting a full public analysis of positive samples for pertussis in private medical institutions, and also conducting an analysis of immunity in Korea."

"We should not miss vaccinations for infants under the age of 1 who are most likely to progress to severe disease in the event of infection, and additional vaccinations for 15 to 18 months, 4 to 6 years old, and 11 to 12 years old," he said. "High-risk groups such as chronic lung disease, infant care workers, adults over 65 years old, and pregnant women (third trimester) must be vaccinated against whooping cough (Tdap)."



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