Jun-Pyo Myong1, Yeon-Soon Ahn2, Hyoung-Ryoul Kim1, Youn Jeong Kim3, Chung Yill Park1, Jung-Wan Koo1. 1. Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Korea. 2. Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Dongguk University, Ilsan Hospital, Goyang, Republic of Korea. 3. Division of Infectious Disease, Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul St. Mary's Hospital,The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Korea.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Korea has no surveillance system for work-related infectious disease. However, these diseases are compensated by the Korea Workers' Compensation & Welfare Service (KCOMWEL). OBJECTIVES: To understand the nature and distribution of compensated occupational infectious diseases in Korea. METHODS: We used the KCOMWEL electronic database to analyze compensated cases of work-related occupational infectious disease. We reviewed and confirmed diagnoses excluding denied claims, secondary infections, dermatoid diseases, duplicated cases and those with missing information. We calculated the distribution of work-related infectious disease in Korea by occupation, calendar year, gender, age, and employment duration, as well as the annual compensated claim rates (per million). RESULTS: We included 1,062 compensated cases of work-related infectious disease. The most common was scrub typhus (n = 567, 53.4%), followed by tuberculosis (n = 227, 21.4%), viral hepatitis (n = 55, 5.2%), and viral influenza (n = 53, 5.0%). A sudden increase in scrub typhus was observed in 2009. Unskilled laborers, including short-term contract workers in public sectors, were most commonly affected by these diseases, followed by health care professionals. CONCLUSIONS: Workers employed in forestry care in the public sectors and in hospitals were most vulnerable to infections. Proper surveillance systems to monitor infectious diseases among vulnerable working groups and improved prevention measures are needed.
BACKGROUND: Korea has no surveillance system for work-related infectious disease. However, these diseases are compensated by the Korea Workers' Compensation & Welfare Service (KCOMWEL). OBJECTIVES: To understand the nature and distribution of compensated occupational infectious diseases in Korea. METHODS: We used the KCOMWEL electronic database to analyze compensated cases of work-related occupational infectious disease. We reviewed and confirmed diagnoses excluding denied claims, secondary infections, dermatoid diseases, duplicated cases and those with missing information. We calculated the distribution of work-related infectious disease in Korea by occupation, calendar year, gender, age, and employment duration, as well as the annual compensated claim rates (per million). RESULTS: We included 1,062 compensated cases of work-related infectious disease. The most common was scrub typhus (n = 567, 53.4%), followed by tuberculosis (n = 227, 21.4%), viral hepatitis (n = 55, 5.2%), and viral influenza (n = 53, 5.0%). A sudden increase in scrub typhus was observed in 2009. Unskilled laborers, including short-term contract workers in public sectors, were most commonly affected by these diseases, followed by health care professionals. CONCLUSIONS: Workers employed in forestry care in the public sectors and in hospitals were most vulnerable to infections. Proper surveillance systems to monitor infectious diseases among vulnerable working groups and improved prevention measures are needed.