Current Status of Q Fever and the Challenge of Outbreak Preparedness in Korea: One Health Approach to Zoonoses
Yun Sang Cho, Ji-Hyuk Park, Jong Wan Kim, Jin-Ju Lee, So Youn Youn, Hyeon Seop Byeon, Hye Won Jeong, Dong‐Min Kim, Shi Nae Yu, Jang Won Yoon, Dongmi Kwak, Han Sang Yoo, Ji-Yeon Lee, Jeong-Ran Kwon, Kyung-Won Hwang, Jung Yeon Heo
Abstract
, presents with diverse clinical manifestations ranging from mild self-limited febrile illnesses to life-threatening complications such as endocarditis or vascular infection. Although acute Q fever is a benign illness with a low mortality rate, a large-scale outbreak of Q fever in the Netherlands led to concerns about the possibility of blood transfusion-related transmission or obstetric complications in pregnant women. Furthermore, a small minority (< 5%) of patients with asymptomatic or symptomatic infection progress to chronic Q fever. Chronic Q fever is fatal in 5-50% of patients if left untreated. In South Korea, Q fever in humans was designated as a notifiable infectious disease in 2006, and the number of Q fever cases has increased sharply since 2015. Nonetheless, it is still considered a neglected and under-recognized infectious disease. In this review, recent trends of human and animal Q fever in South Korea, and public health concerns regarding Q fever outbreaks are reviewed, and we consider how a One Health approach could be applied as a preventive measure to prepare for zoonotic Q fever outbreaks.