A COMPARTIVE STUDY OF THE TRENDS IN EPIDEMIOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF TETANUS INFECTIONS AMONG KOREAN AND JAPANESE FROM 2010 TO 2015

Nong-Hoon Choe, Myeong-Jin Lee, Young-Hwan Kwon and Won-Chang Lee*

ABSTRACT

Background and Methods: To compare the comparative quantitative analysis of the epidemiological aspects of tetanus infections among Korean and Japanese since from 2010 to 2015. The raw data analyzed in this study were obtained from the websites of tetanus infections by the Korea Center for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) in Korea and the National Institute of Infectious Diseases (NIID) in Japan, 2010-2015. Results: We observed tetanus 117 cases with cumulative incidence rate (CIR) per 100,000 populations in Korea during the period from 2010 to 2015 were as 0.039 per 100,000 populations and with a total of 4 fatal cases, corresponding to a cases fatality rate (CFR) of 3.4%, respectively. During the same period in Japan, 716 tetanus cases with a CIR of 0.094 and with a 52 fatal cases to a CFR of 7.3% were observed. When compared, the CIR of tetanus in Korea was much lower than that in Japan (p<0.01). However, Korea and Japan, the case-fatality rates and the tetanus affected both sexes (male to female morbidity ratio: MFMR) were statistically not significantly difference levels between Korea and Japan. In both countries, the incidence of tetanus was highest among those aged 40 years and older, and outbreaks peaked in summer (p<0.01). Significant differences were observed in the incidence of tetanus cases between the capital city and county areas in both two countries (p<0.01). These differences in tetanus risk factors reflect the different influences of reservoir/host, climate and geographical and environmental characteristics, and variation in their activities for lifestyle or industrialization. Conclusion: Tetanus in Korea and Japan an emerging zoonosis, a serious concerned to the public health. Therefore, the development a health education for tetanus prevention and improvement of the living environment will aid in reducing from sources of infection.

Keywords: Tetanus, Epidemiological aspects, risk factors, Korea, Japan.