SEOUL, May 04 (AJP) - South Korea is seeing its highest number of measles cases in six years, as diseases once considered nearly eliminated begin to reappear, fueled by global outbreaks and increased travel, South Korea’s disease control body reported on Sunday.
According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), 52 measles cases were reported between Jan. 1 and Apr. 1, already surpassing the total of 49 reported throughout 2024. This marks the highest annual figure since 2019, when 194 cases were recorded.
The country had previously declared measles eliminated in 2006 following a major outbreak in the early 2000s and was officially recognized as a measles-free nation by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2014. That status remains, as most recent cases have been linked to overseas travel.
Of the 52 cases this year, 34 were imported, mostly from Vietnam, while the remaining 18 were domestic transmissions traced to the imported cases, often spreading in households or hospitals.
“With measles cases rising globally, we expect more imported infections,” a KDCA official told reporters. “Still, our high vaccination rates and strong monitoring systems reduce the risk of a large-scale outbreak.”
Other so-called “neglected” diseases are also making a comeback. South Korea reported 17,944 tuberculosis cases in 2024. Though numbers have declined steadily from over 50,000 in 2011, the target of eradicating the disease by 2030 remains challenging. Foreign nationals now account for about 6 percent of all TB cases.
Scabies, a contagious skin condition caused by mites, also continues to affect tens of thousands each year. The Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service reported 34,921 cases in 2024, with over 31,000 patients treated between January and August alone.
Health officials say the resurgence of these illnesses is driven by increased overseas travel, global vaccination gaps, and demographic shifts such as an aging population. In the case of measles, lower vaccination rates in countries like the United States have contributed to renewed outbreaks worldwide, making it harder to keep the disease entirely at bay.
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com
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