To Eradicate Malaria on the Korean Peninsula, Accurate Democratic People's Republic of Korea Malaria Statistics Are Needed

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

On the Korean peninsula, indigenous Plasmodium vivax malaria has long occurred, but it was eradicated in 1984 in Republic of Korea (ROK) through a joint project with World Health Organization (WHO). However, the epidemic began again after the first patient occurred in 1993 in northern part of the ROK near demilitarized zone (DMZ), and there are still about 500–600 patients every year. Among OECD countries, indigenous malaria only occurs in Mexico and ROK. WHO has selected 21 countries, including ROK, to eradicate malaria by 2020. However, ROK's goal is being postponed because it is difficult to achieve the goal within the given time. This year, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) announced a five-year action plan to combat malaria. And announced that ROK will get malaria elimination certification from the WHO until 2024.1 To be certified for elimination of malaria, there should be no indigenous malaria cases from 2021 and this condition must be maintained for three years continuously. To attain this ambitious goal, KCDC will strengthen malaria patient management, monitor and control vector mosquitoes, expand research and development in malaria, activate cooperation and communication systems with relevant ministries for the fight against malaria, and establish cooperation with Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and international organizations.

참고문헌 (Reference)

1 Country Office for DPR Korea, "World Health Organization. Malaria"

2 National Malaria Programme, Ministry of Public Health, "National Malaria Elimination Strategy 2018–2022: Democratic People's Republic of Korea" World Health Organization, Country Office for DPR Korea 2017

3 Kondrashin A, "Mass primaquine treatment to eliminate vivax malaria : lessons from the past" 13 : 51-, 2014

4 Pant SD, "Mass primaquine preventive treatment for control of Plasmodium vivax malaria in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea : a country success story" 3 (3): 75-80, 2014

5 김종헌, "Malaria Incidence of the Regions Adjacent to the Demilitarized Zone in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, 2004–2016" 대한의학회 34 (34): 1-11, 2019

6 Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, "Five-year action plan for re-elimination of malaria"