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KMID : 1143420230160010001
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Public Health Weekly Report
2023 Volume.16 No. 1 p.1 ~ p.15
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Surveillance and Epidemiological Characteristics of Hepatitis E in the Republic of Korea
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Chung Jae-hwa
Seo Soon-Ryu
Cho Seung-Hee
Lee Mi-Nam
Gwack Jin
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Abstract
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Hepatitis E virus (HEV) causes acute hepatitis that is mainly transmitted through contaminated water or raw food intake and is classified as a food and waterborne disease. Since July 2020, it has been designated as a class 2 notifiable infectious disease and managed under mandatory surveillance. In this study, the occurrence patterns and epidemiological characteristics of HEV were analyzed using reported data and epidemiological investigation data from the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency’s data after mandatory surveillance. From July 2020 to June 2022, the number of reported cases gradually increased, and the reported rate was relatively higher in Gangwon-do compared to that of other regions. The epidemiological investigation analysis showed that 84.5% of the reported individuals had abnormal liver function values, and the number of patients with symptoms was approximately 1.6 times higher than that of asymptomatic pathogen carriers. Regarding the regional differences identified in the reporting of HEV, an in-depth investigation is needed to determine the exact cause. Hepatitis E is a notifiable infectious disease under mandatory surveillance, but it is estimated that there will be a large number of hidden infections, due to the high rate of asymptomatic, low awareness, and unstandardized diagnostic methods. Therefore, it is necessary to actively guide and promote the government, along with the continuation of the discussions and research, to improve the HEV control measures.
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KEYWORD
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Hepatitis E, Viral hepatitis, Acute hepatitis, Mandatory surveillance
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