Waterborne and Foodborne Infectious Diseases
Definition
- An infectious disease that mainly causes gastrointestinal symptoms such as diarrhea, abdominal pain, and vomiting due to the consumption of water or food contaminated with pathogenic microorganisms
Types of intestinal infections of waterborne and foodborne infectious diseases
- The Class 2 and 3 infectious diseases include cholera, typhoid fever, paratyphoid fever, bacillary dysentery, enterohemorrhagic E. coli infection, and Vibrio vulnificus septicemia; and
- Class 4 infectious diseases of intestinal infections include the following diseases:
Table 1 | Types of Intestinal Infections Classified as Class 4 Infectious Diseases
| Category | Type |
|---|---|
| Bacterial (11types) |
Salmonella infection, Vibrio parahaemolyticus infection, Enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC) infection, Enteroinvasive E. coli (EIEC) infection, Enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC) infection, Campylobacter infection, Clostridium perfringens infection, Staphylococcus aureus infection, Bacillus cereus infection, Yersinia enterocolitica infection, Listeria monocytogenes infection |
| Viral (5types) |
Group A rotavirus infection, astrovirus infection, enteric adenovirus infection, norovirus infection, sapovirus infection |
| Protozoan (4types) |
Entamoeba histolytica infection, Giardia lamblia infection, Cryptosporidium parvum infection, Cyclospora cayetanensis infection |
Route of Infection
- Mainly through the consumption of contaminated water and food
- Transmission can occur through food or water contaminated with the excreta of patients or asymptomatic carriers, or through food prepared directly by an infected person.
- Bacteria can also be transmitted from contaminated material to other food by sanitary insects such as flies.
Preventive Measures
- Practice proper 6-step handwashing as a routine habit (wash hands with soap under running water for at least 30 seconds)
- Drink boiled water (if boiling is not possible, drink bottled beverages such as mineral water or carbonated water)
- Eat food thoroughly cooked (cook to a core temperature of 75°C for at least 1 minute, and for seafood, 85°C)
- Wash vegetables and fruits with clean water or peel them before eating
- Do not cook or prepare food if experiencing diarrhea symptoms
- Cook hygienically
- Use separate cutting boards for disinfected items, fish, meat, and vegetables (disinfect knives and cutting boards after cooking)
Current Status of Occurrence
- 2nd and 3rd class waterborne and foodborne infectious diseases (8 types including cholera and Vibrio vulnificus septicemia)
Table 2 | Annual Occurrence Status of Class 2 and 3 Waterborne and Foodborne Infectious Diseases
(Unit: persons)
| 1) Year2) Infectious disease | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Class 2 | Cholera | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Typhoid fever | 39 | 61 | 38 | 19 | 34 | |
| Paratyphoid fever | 58 | 29 | 31 | 22 | 23 | |
| Bacillary dysentery | 29 | 18 | 31 | 37 | 41 | |
| Enterohemorrhagic E. coli infection | 270 | 165 | 211 | 216 | 274 | |
| Hepatitis A | 3,989 | 6,583 | 1,890 | 1,324 | 1,168 | |
| Hepatitis E* | 191 | 494 | 528 | 572 | 756 | |
| Class 3 | Vibrio vulnificus septicemia | 70 | 52 | 46 | 69 | 49 |
* Additional notifiable Class 2 infectious diseases (July 2020)
- Class 4 waterborne and foodborne infectious diseases (20 types of intestinal infections)
Table 3 | Annual Occurrence Status of Class 4 Waterborne and Foodborne Infectious Diseases (sample surveillance)
(Unit: persons)
| Type | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Class 4 | Bacterial (11types) |
Salmonella infection | 3,082 | 3,540 | 3,789 |
| Vibrio parahaemolyticus infection | 50 | 101 | 134 | ||
| Enterotoxigenic E. coli infection | 136 | 481 | 480 | ||
| Enteroinvasive E. coli infection | 12 | 55 | 50 | ||
| Enteropathogenic E. coli infection | 920 | 1,963 | 2,114 | ||
| Campylobacter infection | 3,173 | 3,167 | 3,354 | ||
| Clostridium perfringens infection | 1,890 | 423 | 303 | ||
| Staphylococcus aureus infection | 136 | 160 | 136 | ||
| Bacillus cereus infection | 12 | 42 | 23 | ||
| Yersinia enterocolitica infection | 141 | 169 | 169 | ||
| Listeria monocytogenes infection | 11 | 10 | 6 | ||
| Viral (5types) |
Group A rotavirus infection | 1,226 | 1,352 | 2,529 | |
| Astrovirus infection | 1,015 | 1,590 | 887 | ||
| Enteric adenovirus infection | 2,562 | 621 | 1,438 | ||
| Norovirus infection | 4,673 | 5,926 | 6,766 | ||
| Sapovirus infection | 764 | 955 | 1,060 | ||
| Protozoan (4types) |
Entamoeba histolytica infection | 5 | 15 | 18 | |
| Giardia lamblia infection | 59 | 44 | 44 | ||
| Cryptosporidium parvum infection | 9 | 14 | 15 | ||
| Cyclospora cayetanensis infection | 0 | 10 | 2 | ||
| Number of sentinel surveillance institutions for intestinal infections | 208 | 207 | 210 | ||
Reporting Scope
- Class 2 and 3 waterborne and foodborne infectious diseases (8 types including cholera and Vibrio vulnificus septicemia)
Table 4 | Reporting Scope of Class 2 and 3 Waterborne and Foodborne Infectious Diseases
[Legend] ○: Subject to reporting, ×: Not subject to reporting
| Category | Reporting scope | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Classification | Name of infectious disease | Cases | Suspected cases | Pathogen Carriers |
Deaths | Pathogen |
| Class 2 infectious disease | Cholera | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ |
| Typhoid fever | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | |
| Paratyphoid fever | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | |
| Bacillary dysentery | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | |
| Enterohemorrhagic E. coli infection | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | |
| Hepatitis A | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | |
| Hepatitis E | ○ | × | ○ | ○ | ○ | |
| Class 3 infectious disease | Vibrio vulnificus septicemia | ○ | ○ | × | ○ | ○ |
* Vibrio cholerae (O1, O139) and Shigella dysenteriae Type 1 are classified as high-risk pathogens under Article 2, Paragraph 19 of the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act, and must be reported to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, Division of Biosafety Evaluation and Control (043-719-8044, 8047) when isolated or transported.
- Reporting scope of Class 4 waterborne and foodborne infectious diseases
- Patients with clinical symptoms of intestinal infection and confirmation of the corresponding pathogen