scholarly journals The impact of social distancing and public behavior changes on COVID-19 transmission dynamics in the Republic of Korea

PLoS ONE ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (9) ◽  
pp. e0238684
Author(s):  
Soyoung Kim ◽  
Youngsuk Ko ◽  
Yae-Jean Kim ◽  
Eunok Jung
Keyword(s):  
Transmission Dynamics ◽  
Republic Of Korea ◽  
Behavior Changes ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
Public Behavior ◽  
The Republic ◽  
The Impact

scholarly journals Elucidating the Local Transmission Dynamics of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza H5N6 in the Republic of Korea by Integrating Phylogenetic Information

Pathogens ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 691
Author(s):  
Dae-Sung Yoo ◽  
Byungchul Chun ◽  
Kyung-Duk Min ◽  
Jun-Sik Lim ◽  
Oun-Kyoung Moon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Avian Influenza ◽  
Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza ◽  
Transmission Dynamics ◽  
Republic Of Korea ◽  
Transmission Risk ◽  
Highly Pathogenic ◽  
Pathogenic Avian Influenza ◽  
The Republic ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Local Transmission

Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) virus is one of the most virulent and infectious pathogens of poultry. As a response to HPAI epidemics, veterinary authorities implement preemptive depopulation as a controlling strategy. However, mass culling within a uniform radius of the infection site can result in unnecessary depopulation. Therefore, it is useful to quantify the transmission distance from infected premises (IPs) before determining the optimal area for preemptive depopulation. Accordingly, we analyzed the transmission risk within spatiotemporal clusters of IPs using transmission kernel estimates derived from phylogenetic clustering information on 311 HPAI H5N6 IPs identified during the 2016–2017 epidemic, Republic of Korea. Subsequently, we explored the impact of varying the culling radius on the local transmission of HPAI given the transmission risk estimates. The domestic duck farm density was positively associated with higher transmissibility. Ring culling over a radius of 3 km may be effective for areas with high dense duck holdings, but this approach does not appear to significantly reduce the risk for local transmission in areas with chicken farms. This study provides the first estimation of the local transmission dynamics of HPAI in the Republic of Korea as well as insight into determining an effective ring culling radius.

scholarly journals The impact of environmental variables on the spread of COVID-19 in the Republic of Korea

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yong Kwan Lim ◽  
Oh Joo Kweon ◽  
Hye Ryoun Kim ◽  
Tae-Hyoung Kim ◽  
Mi-Kyung Lee
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Virus Disease ◽  
Environmental Parameters ◽  
Environmental Data ◽  
Republic Of Korea ◽  
Metropolitan Region ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Ozone Level ◽  
The Republic ◽  
The Impact

AbstractCorona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been declared a global pandemic and is a major public health concern worldwide. In this study, we aimed to determine the role of environmental factors, such as climate and air pollutants, in the transmission of COVID-19 in the Republic of Korea. We collected epidemiological and environmental data from two regions of the Republic of Korea, namely Seoul metropolitan region (SMR) and Daegu-Gyeongbuk region (DGR) from February 2020 to July 2020. The data was then analyzed to identify correlations between each environmental factor with confirmed daily COVID-19 cases. Among the various environmental parameters, the duration of sunshine and ozone level were found to positively correlate with COVID-19 cases in both regions. However, the association of temperature variables with COVID-19 transmission revealed contradictory results when comparing the data from SMR and DGR. Moreover, statistical bias may have arisen due to an extensive epidemiological investigation and altered socio-behaviors that occurred in response to a COVID-19 outbreak. Nevertheless, our results suggest that various environmental factors may play a role in COVID-19 transmission.

scholarly journals The impact of Livestock Manure Control Policy on human leptospirosis in Republic of Korea using interrupted time series analysis

2017 ◽  
Vol 145 (7) ◽  
pp. 1320-1325 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. RYU ◽  
C. L. LAU ◽  
B. C. CHUN
Keyword(s):  
Time Series ◽  
Control Policy ◽  
Interrupted Time Series ◽  
Republic Of Korea ◽  
Policy Enforcement ◽  
Interrupted Time Series Analysis ◽  
Livestock Manure ◽  
Human Leptospirosis ◽  
The Republic ◽  
The Impact

SUMMARYLeptospirosis is a zoonotic disease that the pathogen can be transmitted to humans through the excretions of infected animals. In the Republic of Korea, the Livestock Manure Control Act was enforced in September 2007 to improve underground water hygiene. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of Livestock Manure Control Policy on the incidence and the trend of human leptospirosis. An interrupted time series analysis using the monthly incidence of leptospirosis was conducted based on data derived from the Korean National Surveillance System between January 1999 and January 2015. We used a Spearman correlation method to compare the level of leptospirosis incidence decrease between the metropolitan cities and rural provinces. The annual incidence of leptospirosis in South Korea decreased by 33% after policy enforcement of the policy. A significant change in the slope of human leptospirosis cases was observed after the policy enforcement (β = −0·09, P < 0·001). Moreover, we detected a clear association between the size of the rice paddy fields and the decrease in leptospirosis incidence in provinces (r = 0·817, P = 0·01). This study shows that the Livestock Manure Control Policy had significantly reduced human leptospirosis incidence in the Republic of Korea, in particular, in rural regions.

scholarly journals Agent-Based Modeling for Super-Spreading Events: A Case Study of MERS-CoV Transmission Dynamics in the Republic of Korea

2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (11) ◽  
pp. 2369 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yunhwan Kim ◽  
Hohyung Ryu ◽  
Sunmi Lee
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
Transmission Rate ◽  
Emerging Infectious Diseases ◽  
Epidemiological Data ◽  
Agent Based Modeling ◽  
Transmission Dynamics ◽  
Republic Of Korea ◽  
Agent Based ◽  
The Republic ◽  
High Level

Super-spreading events have been observed in the transmission dynamics of many infectious diseases. The 2015 MERS-CoV outbreak in the Republic of Korea has also shown super-spreading events with a significantly high level of heterogeneity in generating secondary cases. It becomes critical to understand the mechanism for this high level of heterogeneity to develop effective intervention strategies and preventive plans for future emerging infectious diseases. In this regard, agent-based modeling is a useful tool for incorporating individual heterogeneity into the epidemic model. In the present work, a stochastic agent-based framework is developed in order to understand the underlying mechanism of heterogeneity. Clinical (i.e., an infectivity level) and social or environmental (i.e., a contact level) heterogeneity are modeled. These factors are incorporated in the transmission rate functions under assumptions that super-spreaders have stronger transmission and/or higher links. Our agent-based model has employed real MERS-CoV epidemic features based on the 2015 MERS-CoV epidemiological data. Monte Carlo simulations are carried out under various epidemic scenarios. Our findings highlight the roles of super-spreaders in a high level of heterogeneity, underscoring that the number of contacts combined with a higher level of infectivity are the most critical factors for substantial heterogeneity in generating secondary cases of the 2015 MERS-CoV transmission.

scholarly journals Sustained Vaccination Coverage during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Epidemic in the Republic of Korea

Vaccines ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 2
Author(s):  
Jeong Hee Yu ◽  
Hang jin Jeong ◽  
Seon Ju Kim ◽  
Jae Young Lee ◽  
Young June Choe ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Vaccination Coverage ◽  
Vaccination Rate ◽  
Republic Of Korea ◽  
Korean Children ◽  
Vaccine Preventable Diseases ◽  
The Republic ◽  
The Impact

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, vaccination coverage may decline due to limited accessibility to healthcare. We assessed the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on vaccination coverage and the incidence of vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs) in the Republic of Korea. National vaccination coverage of 10 essential vaccines administered to children between January–June 2019 and January–June 2020 was analyzed. The national incidence of selected VPDs was compared for the corresponding periods. During the COVID-19 outbreak, the vaccination rate in children aged 0–35 months in Korea did not decrease significantly, whereas the vaccination rate for children aged 4–6 years decreased by 1.4–1.9%. The overall incidence of VPDs decreased by 10–50% between 2019 and 2020, especially with varicella. Thus, the COVID-19 pandemic did not result in a decrease in vaccination coverage among Korean children, which prevented a surge in VPD incidence. Maintaining essential vaccination coverage without interruption is important during the response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

2002 FIFA World Cup and Its Effects on the Reconciliation between Japan and the Republic of Korea

2005 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 233-257 ◽  
Author(s):  
AKIKO SAKAEDANI
Keyword(s):  
World War Ii ◽  
Historical Context ◽  
Pop Culture ◽  
Republic Of Korea ◽  
World Cup ◽  
Fifa World Cup ◽  
Nation States ◽  
Depth Interview ◽  
The Republic ◽  
The Impact

Japan and the Republic of Korea have been going through a painful process of reconciliation since World War II. But with the momentum created by the FIFA World Cup and the high popularity of Korean pop culture in Japan, the trend shifted and the two countries seem to be enjoying a more amicable relationship. This paper aspires to understand when and how the steps toward reconciliation were taken between the two countries. The overarching research questions are: what steps were taken, and what channels of communication contributed to or hindered the process of reconciliation? Section 1 first lays the historical context of the dispute, and Section 2 assesses the diplomatic steps taken toward reconciliation by applying Assefa's reconciliation model, which leads to an analysis of discrepancy between the governments and the civil societies. Section 3 considers the impact of the FIFA World Cup in 2002, when momentum for friendship was reinforced by the various exchange activities at civil society level, as well as the Korean pop culture. The in-depth interview adds insights and public opinion polls clarify the perceived status of reconciliation. Section 4 concludes by returning to the more generalized issue of how communication between the two nation states has changed with the information technology, which is key to understanding the dynamism of the lingering reconciliation process.

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