International travel and exotic dengue fever of South Korea in the last decade

Abstract

We undertook analysis of reported dengue fever (DF) cases and DF-relevant characteristics in South Korea from 2006 to 2015. A total of 1,260 DF notifications occurred in the study period were presumedly introduced from endemic foreign countries. The nationwide cumulative incidence rate (CIR) of DF was 0.25 per 100,000 populations; the cumulative incidence rate of DF among overseas travelers was 0.93. CIRs of overseas male and female travelers were 1.13 and 0.87, respectively. CIR of overseas travelers of 20 to 39 years old was highest. Men (61.9%) were more infected with DF than women were (38.1%, P < 0.01). Individuals aged 20 to 39 years were most infected (58.4%, P < 0.01). About a third of reported DF cases occurred between June and November. Most of the imported DF cases were associated with traveling in Southeast Asia (86.1%). The incidence of DF was highly correlated with the total number of overseas travelers (Pearson correlation r = 0.842, P < 0.01). The number of reported DF patients has been increased in the last decade and associated with international travel. To prevent DF infections, more attention should be paid to individuals who are planning the travel to the Southeast Asia.