Journal of Korean medical science
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Healthcare personnel (HCP) are at risk of being exposed to or transmitting infections in hospitals, and vaccination against vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs) is a well-known preventive strategy. Vaccination against influenza, hepatitis B virus, measles-mumps-rubella, varicella, and pertussis is recommended for HCP. However, there is no information on the current status of hospitals' vaccination policies for HCP in Korea. ⋯ Despite the recommendations on vaccination for HCP, the vaccination policies for HCP differ in hospitals and appear to be insufficient to protect HCP and prevent nosocomial transmission. Strong leadership of each hospital to protect HCP and financial support from the government are required to implement appropriate vaccination policies in hospitals.
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J. Korean Med. Sci. · Mar 2020
Analysis on 54 Mortality Cases of Coronavirus Disease 2019 in the Republic of Korea from January 19 to March 10, 2020.
Since the identification of the first case of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the global number of confirmed cases as of March 15, 2020, is 156,400, with total death in 5,833 (3.7%) worldwide. Here, we summarize the morality data from February 19 when the first mortality occurred to 0 am, March 10, 2020, in Korea with comparison to other countries. The overall case fatality rate of COVID-19 in Korea was 0.7% as of 0 am, March 10, 2020.
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J. Korean Med. Sci. · Mar 2020
Blood Pressure Curve for Children Less than 10 Years of Age: Findings from the Ewha Birth and Growth Cohort Study.
Routine blood pressure (BP) measurement is recommended to begin at 3 years of age, but there are no national BP reference values for Korean children less than 7 years of age. Therefore, we developed sex-, age-, and height-specific BP reference values for non-overweight children aged 3-9 years. ⋯ Although further research is needed, our findings could be used to help identify high BP in children less than 10 years of age.
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J. Korean Med. Sci. · Mar 2020
Case ReportsFirst Pediatric Case of Coronavirus Disease 2019 in Korea.
The large outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) that started in Wuhan, China has now spread to many countries worldwide. Current epidemiologic knowledge suggests that relatively few cases are seen among children, which limits opportunities to address pediatric specific issues on infection control and the children's contribution to viral spread in the community. ⋯ In this report, we present mild clinical course of her pneumonia that did not require antiviral treatment and serial viral test results from multiple specimens. Lastly, we raise concerns on the optimal strategy of self-quarantine and patient care in a negative isolation room for children.
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J. Korean Med. Sci. · Mar 2020
Drive-Through Screening Center for COVID-19: a Safe and Efficient Screening System against Massive Community Outbreak.
As the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak is ongoing, the number of individuals to be tested for COVID-19 is rapidly increasing. For safe and efficient screening for COVID-19, drive-through (DT) screening centers have been designed and implemented in Korea. Herein, we present the overall concept, advantages, and limitations of the COVID-19 DT screening centers. ⋯ The entire service takes about 10 minutes for one testee without leaving his or her cars. Increased testing capacity over 100 tests per day and prevention of cross-infection between testees in the waiting space are the major advantages, while protection of staff from the outdoor atmosphere is challenging. It could be implemented in other countries to cope with the global COVID-19 outbreak and transformed according to their own situations.