First Japanese Encephalitis Patient Reported This Year... "Beware of Mosquitoes Until October"

The first domestic case of Japanese encephalitis has been confirmed in South Korea this year.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) announced that a woman in her 60s, who visited a medical facility on August 15 with symptoms such as high fever, chills, and vomiting, has been diagnosed with Japanese encephalitis.

It was found that she had not received the Japanese encephalitis vaccination.

The patient is currently undergoing hospital treatment for underlying conditions, including chronic renal failure.


Most domestic Japanese encephalitis cases occur between August and November, with about 80 percent of patients concentrated in September and October.

Patients in their 50s and older account for a high proportion at 65.9 percent.

The number of Japanese encephalitis patients increased from 17 in 2023 to 21 in 2024, before decreasing to 7 last year.

When infected with the Japanese encephalitis virus, symptoms such as fever and headaches appear.

In rare cases where it progresses to encephalitis, patients can suffer from severe symptoms including high fever, seizures, neck stiffness, confusion, and convulsions, of which 20 to 30 percent can be fatal.

There were 6 fatalities each in 2019 and 2024, and 5 fatalities in 2021.

The small red house mosquito, which transmits Japanese encephalitis, is a dark brown small mosquito that mainly engages in biting activity at night.

(Photo provided by Yonhap News TV, KDCA, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.