Hepatitis A... which is classified as a Group 1 infectious disease here in Korea.... has been spreading quickly in the country.
Why the sharp uptick in cases and what can be done to stop it from spreading?
Our Lee Seung-jae has more.
South Korea's central Gyeonggi-do Province has seen the most hepatitis A patients so far this year with over 1,060 cases, followed by Daejeon with 615.
The two regions account for over 46 percent of the total 3,597 cases the nation has seen in 2019.
However, the number of patients continues to increase.
In Gyeonggi-do Province, nearly 800 cases have been confirmed in the past two months alone,... while Daejeon has seen nearly 400 confirmed cases.
After those areas,... Seoul, the Chungcheong-do provinces and Incheon have seen the most cases.
If the trend continues for the rest of the year,... the number of hepatitis A patients will exceed 4,400,... which was the previous record seen in 2017.
Hepatitis A causes high fever, abdominal pain, vomiting and diarrhea.
Health authorities have been conducting epidemiological studies,... but have not yet found the exact cause of the infection.
While the disease is spread through food or water,... it's hard to figure out what the patients ate,... since the virus has an incubation period that lasts between 14 to 50 days.
Surprisingly,... those in their 30s and 40s made up 70 percent of those affected.
"Young people are so focused on being hygienic that they are often exposed to bacteria in the absence of antibodies. This happens a lot during spring..."
It's highly advised that those under 20 be vaccinated against hepatitis A.
However, health authorities say,... those without an antibody,... regardless of age, should get a shot as soon as possible.
Lee Seung-jae, Arirang News.