scholarly journals Comparison of influenza surveillance data from the Republic of Korea, selected northern hemisphere countries and Hong Kong SAR (China) from 2012 to 2017

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Bryan Inho Kim ◽  
Ok Park ◽  
Sangwon Lee
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Northern Hemisphere ◽  
North China ◽  
The United States ◽  
Surveillance Data ◽  
Republic Of Korea ◽  
Temperate Climate ◽  
Influenza Surveillance ◽  
Hong Kong Sar ◽  
The Republic

Influenza surveillance is conducted in many countries; it is one of the most important types of infectious disease surveillance due to the significant impact and burden of the influenza virus. The Republic of Korea has a temperate climate, and influenza activity usually peaks in the winter as in other temperate-climate countries in the northern hemisphere. This descriptive study compared the influenza surveillance data from the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention with that from other countries and areas in the northern hemisphere, namely China, including Hong Kong SAR, Japan and the United States of America, to identify seasonal influenza patterns from 2012 to 2017. Data on influenza-like illnesses (ILIs) and laboratory surveillance were collected from various sources; visual comparisons were conducted on the onset, duration and the peak timing of each influenza season based on subtypes. Correlation coefficients were estimated, and time differences for the beginning of influenza seasons between the Republic of Korea and other countries were measured. ILIs in North China and cases reported from Japan’s sentinel surveillance showed high correlations with the Republic of Korea. The number of confirmed influenza cases in Japan showed a high correlation with the laboratory-confirmed influenza cases in the Republic of Korea. We found that there are similarities in the influenza patterns of the Republic of Korea, Japan and North China. Monitoring these neighbouring countries’ data may be useful for understanding influenza patterns in the Republic of Korea. Continuous monitoring and comparison of influenza surveillance data with neighbouring countries is recommended to enhance preparedness against influenza.

Negotiating the Cold War: The United States and the Two Koreas

2000 ◽  
Vol 9 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 85-105
Author(s):  
Steven Hugh Lee
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
North Korea ◽  
The United States ◽  
Republic Of Korea ◽  
Republic Of China ◽  
South Korean ◽  
Agreed Framework ◽  
Peace Settlement ◽  
The Republic ◽  
The Cold War

AbstractSince December 1997, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), the People’s Republic of China (PRC), the Republic of Korea (ROK), and the United States have met in a series of talks aimed at promoting peace and stability on the Korean peninsula and in the region. According to a November 1998 U.S. Department of Defense report, the discussions have created a “diplomatic venue for reducing tensions and ultimately replacing the Armistice Agreement with a permanent peace settlement.”1 Amidst the tragic human suffering which has occurred in North Korea, there have been some encouraging developments on the peninsula. The 1994 Agreed Framework between the United States and North Korea placed international controls on North Korea’s atomic energy program and cautiously anticipated the normalization of U.S.-DPRK relations. Since assuming power in early 1998, South Korean President Kim Dae Jung has vigorously pursued a policy of engagement with P’yo¨ngyang, known as the “sunshine policy.” Over the past decade, North Korea has also reoriented its foreign policy. In the early 1990s, the regime’s social and economic crisis led to a rethinking of its autarkic economic system. By early 1994, the state had created new free trade zones and relatively open foreign investment laws.2 By complying with the Agreed Framework, the DPRK has also shown a willingness to work with the international community on sensitive issues affecting its internal sovereignty and ability to project power beyond its borders.

What's new in the "new" US course towards the DPRK?

2021 ◽  
pp. 16
Author(s):  
Alexander Zhebin
Keyword(s):  
North Korea ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
The United States ◽  
Negotiation Process ◽  
Republic Of Korea ◽  
Us Economy ◽  
The Us ◽  
Nuclear Problem ◽  
The Republic ◽  
Taiwan Straits

The article analyzes the prospects for US-North Korean and inter-Korean relations, taking into account the completed policy review of the new US administration towards the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), as well as the results of the President of the Republic of Korea Moon Jae-in’s trip to Washington in May 2021 and his talks with US President Joe Biden. It is concluded that the “new" course proposed by the United States in relation to the DPRK will not lead to a solution to the nuclear problem of the Korean Peninsula and will interfere with the normalization of inter-Korean relations. During his visit to the US President Moon failed to obtain the US consent on ROK more “independent policy” toward North Korea. In spite of lavish investments into US economy and other concessions, Seoul was forced to promise to coordinate his approaches to the DPRK with US and Japan and support US position on Taiwan straits and South China Sea. The author argues that in the current conditions, the introduction of a regime of arms limitation and arms control in Korea should be a necessary stage on the way to complete denuclearization of the peninsula. The transition to a such method of the settlement of the nuclear problem could lead to the resumption of the negotiation process, mutual concessions, including reductions in the level of military-political confrontation, partial or large-scale lifting of economic sanctions in exchange for North Korea's restrictions of its nuclear weapon and missile systems.

4. From colony to competing states

2020 ◽  
pp. 69-86
Author(s):  
Michael J. Seth
Keyword(s):  
Soviet Union ◽  
Korean War ◽  
The United States ◽  
Republic Of Korea ◽  
Political Systems ◽  
The Soviet Union ◽  
The Korean War ◽  
Japanese Colonial ◽  
The Republic ◽  
Second World

As the Second World War came to an end, most Koreans hoped that their nation would be an independent and prosperous state. ‘From colony to competing states’ shows that, instead, events took an unexpected turn. Korea became both free of Japanese colonial rule and simultaneously partitioned into two occupation zones by the United States and the Soviet Union. From these zones, two separate states were created: the Republic of Korea and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea; two societies with different leaderships, political systems, and geopolitical orientations. When North Korea attempted to reunify the country in 1950, foreign powers again intervened resulting in the Korean War, a costly conflict that left the peninsula still divided.

scholarly journals Real-time estimation of the influenza-associated excess mortality in Hong Kong

2019 ◽  
Vol 147 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica Y. Wong ◽  
Edward Goldstein ◽  
Vicky J. Fang ◽  
Benjamin J. Cowling ◽  
Peng Wu
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Real Time ◽  
Excess Mortality ◽  
Time Estimation ◽  
Surveillance Data ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Influenza Surveillance ◽  
Mortality Data ◽  
Real Time Estimation ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Statistical models are commonly employed in the estimation of influenza-associated excess mortality that, due to various reasons, is often underestimated by laboratory-confirmed influenza deaths reported by healthcare facilities. However, methodology for timely and reliable estimation of that impact remains limited because of the delay in mortality data reporting. We explored real-time estimation of influenza-associated excess mortality by types/subtypes in each year between 2012 and 2018 in Hong Kong using linear regression models fitted to historical mortality and influenza surveillance data. We could predict that during the winter of 2017/2018, there were ~634 (95% confidence interval (CI): (190, 1033)) influenza-associated excess all-cause deaths in Hong Kong in population ⩾18 years, compared to 259 reported laboratory-confirmed deaths. We estimated that influenza was associated with substantial excess deaths in older adults, suggesting the implementation of control measures, such as administration of antivirals and vaccination, in that age group. The approach that we developed appears to provide robust real-time estimates of the impact of influenza circulation and complement surveillance data on laboratory-confirmed deaths. These results improve our understanding of the impact of influenza epidemics and provide a practical approach for a timely estimation of the mortality burden of influenza circulation during an ongoing epidemic.

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