Effect of Latitude and Seasonal Variation on Scrub Typhus, South Korea, 2001–2013

Ye Sul Jeung School of Medicine, Chosun University, Gwangju, South Korea; Premedical Science, College of Medicine, Chosun University, Gwangju, South Korea; Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Chosun University, Gwangju, South Korea; Department of Neurosurgery, School of Medicine, Chosun University, Gwangju, South Korea; Department of Preventive Medicine, School of Medicine, Chosun University, Gwangju, South Korea

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Choon-Mee Kim School of Medicine, Chosun University, Gwangju, South Korea; Premedical Science, College of Medicine, Chosun University, Gwangju, South Korea; Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Chosun University, Gwangju, South Korea; Department of Neurosurgery, School of Medicine, Chosun University, Gwangju, South Korea; Department of Preventive Medicine, School of Medicine, Chosun University, Gwangju, South Korea

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Na Ra Yun School of Medicine, Chosun University, Gwangju, South Korea; Premedical Science, College of Medicine, Chosun University, Gwangju, South Korea; Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Chosun University, Gwangju, South Korea; Department of Neurosurgery, School of Medicine, Chosun University, Gwangju, South Korea; Department of Preventive Medicine, School of Medicine, Chosun University, Gwangju, South Korea

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Seok-Won Kim School of Medicine, Chosun University, Gwangju, South Korea; Premedical Science, College of Medicine, Chosun University, Gwangju, South Korea; Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Chosun University, Gwangju, South Korea; Department of Neurosurgery, School of Medicine, Chosun University, Gwangju, South Korea; Department of Preventive Medicine, School of Medicine, Chosun University, Gwangju, South Korea

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Mi Ah Han School of Medicine, Chosun University, Gwangju, South Korea; Premedical Science, College of Medicine, Chosun University, Gwangju, South Korea; Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Chosun University, Gwangju, South Korea; Department of Neurosurgery, School of Medicine, Chosun University, Gwangju, South Korea; Department of Preventive Medicine, School of Medicine, Chosun University, Gwangju, South Korea

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Dong-Min Kim School of Medicine, Chosun University, Gwangju, South Korea; Premedical Science, College of Medicine, Chosun University, Gwangju, South Korea; Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Chosun University, Gwangju, South Korea; Department of Neurosurgery, School of Medicine, Chosun University, Gwangju, South Korea; Department of Preventive Medicine, School of Medicine, Chosun University, Gwangju, South Korea

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DOI:
https://doi.org/10.4269/ajtmh.15-0474
Volume/Issue:
Volume 94: Issue 1
Page(s):
22–25
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In South Korea, scrub typhus is one of the most common rickettsial diseases. The number of scrub typhus patients has increased in South Korea, a total of 69,210 cases were reported from 2001 to 2013. The seasonality and relation of scrub typhus cases to latitude were analyzed in this article using data obtained from the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System website of the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The incidence of scrub typhus tended to increase in the later months of the year, especially in October–December. In general, lower latitudes were associated with a later peak incidence. Our results suggest for the first time that the monthly observed incidence tended to increase in the later months of the year as the latitude decreased, and on a yearly basis in Korea.

Author Notes

* Address correspondence to Dong-Min Kim, Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Chosun University, Gwangju 501-717, South Korea. E-mail: drongkim@chosun.ac.kr
† These authors contributed equally to this work.

Financial support: This study was supported by research funds from Chosun University in 2015.

Authors' addresses: Ye Sul Jeung, School of Medicine, Chosun University, Gwangju, South Korea, E-mail: roseyesul@naver.com. Choon-Mee Kim, Premedical Science, School of Medicine, Chosun University, Gwangju, South Korea, E-mail: choonmee@chosun.ac.kr. Na Ra Yun and Dong-Min Kim, Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Chosun University, Gwangju, Republic of Korea, E-mails: shine@chosun.ac.kr and drongkim@chosun.ac.kr. Seok-Won Kim, Department of Neurosurgery, School of Medicine, Chosun University, Gwangju, Korea, E-mail: chosunns@chosun.ac.kr. Mi Ah Han, Department of Preventive Medicine, School of Medicine, Chosun University, Gwangju, Republic of Korea, E-mail: mahan@chosun.ac.kr.

Reprint requests: Dong-Min Kim, Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Chosun University, 588 Seosuk-dong, Dong-gu, Gwangju, 501-717, South Korea, E-mail: drongkim@chosun.ac.kr, Tel: +82-62-220-3108, Fax: +82-62-234-9653.

Copyright:
© The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 2016
Received:
27 Jun 2015
|
Accepted:
20 Aug 2015
|
Published Online:
06 Jan 2016
Cover The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
Print ISSN:
0002-9637
Online ISSN:
1476-1645
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