KDCA issues nationwide malaria alert after first carrier mosquito discovered
Published: 19 Aug. 2025, 14:12
Updated: 19 Aug. 2025, 20:30
![This 2014 photo made available by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows a feeding female Anopheles gambiae mosquito, a known vector for the parasitic disease malaria. [AP/YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/08/19/6dd10b78-5f6f-4576-b0b1-9170e50eb32d.jpg)
This 2014 photo made available by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows a feeding female Anopheles gambiae mosquito, a known vector for the parasitic disease malaria. [AP/YONHAP]
The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) issued a nationwide malaria alert on Tuesday after detecting the year’s first mosquito in Korea carrying the Plasmodium vivax parasite.
The confirmation of the parasite, one of the most frequent and widespread causes of recurring malaria, prompted health officials to broaden the alert nationwide from the previous regional advisory.
The agency had raised a malaria advisory on June 20 and expanded it to an alert covering eight regions, including Ganghwa County in Incheon and Paju, Yeoncheon County, Goyang, Yangju and Gimpo in Gyeonggi, as well as Yanggu and Hwacheon counties in Gangwon, as of Aug. 13.
The KDCA, together with the Ministry of National Defense and local governments, conducts an annual mosquito surveillance between April and October, focusing on high-risk regions such as northern Gyeonggi, Incheon, Seoul and Gangwon.
This year’s joint monitoring found that the overall mosquito population dropped 54.4 percent from last year, but numbers began climbing again after heavy rains in late July.
From January to Aug. 13, Korea reported 373 malaria cases, down 18.8 percent from 443 cases in the same period last year. Group infection clusters also decreased from 22 to 16.
![Pictured is the Anopheles mosquito, a known carrier of malaria [KOREA DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION AGENCY]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/08/19/42f1558a-17f0-4a22-9393-0ccf02e0b565.jpg)
Pictured is the Anopheles mosquito, a known carrier of malaria [KOREA DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION AGENCY]
The KDCA advised the public to limit outdoor activity at night between April and October, when mosquitoes are most active. It is recommended to wear long, light-colored clothing and use repellent.
Those who experience chills, high fever, sweating, or symptoms such as headache, vomiting and diarrhea after mosquito bites should seek medical care immediately, the agency said.
The KDCA also stressed the importance of completing treatment. Patients must take their prescribed medication to the end to prevent relapse, the agency said.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY JEONG JAE-HONG [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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