Osong Public Health and Research Perspectives

Sang-Eun Lee

3 Articles

2019 Tabletop Exercise for Laboratory Diagnosis and Analyses of Unknown Disease Outbreaks by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Il-Hwan Kim, Jun Hyeong Jang, Su-Kyoung Jo, Jin Sun No, Seung-Hee Seo, Jun-Young Kim, Sang-Oun Jung, Jeong-Min Kim, Sang-Eun Lee, Hye-Kyung Park, Eun-Jin Kim, Jun Ho Jeon, Myung-Min Choi, Boyeong Ryu, Yoon Suk Jang, Hwami Kim, Jin Lee, Seung-Hwan Shin, Hee Kyoung Kim, Eun-Kyoung Kim, Ye Eun Park, Cheon-Kwon Yoo, Sang-Won Lee, Myung-Guk Han, Gi-Eun Rhie, Byung Hak Kang; Osong Public Health Res Perspect. 2020;11(5):280-285. Published online October 22, 2020; DOI: https://doi.org/10.24171/j.phrp.2020.11.5.03

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Abstract PDF: Objectives
The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has published “A Guideline for Unknown Disease Outbreaks (UDO).” The aim of this report was to introduce tabletop exercises (TTX) to prepare for UDO in the future.
Methods
The UDO Laboratory Analyses Task Force in Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in April 2018, assigned unknown diseases into 5 syndromes, designed an algorithm for diagnosis, and made a panel list for diagnosis by exclusion. Using the guidelines and laboratory analyses for UDO, TTX were introduced.
Results
Since September 9^th, 2018, the UDO Laboratory Analyses Task Force has been preparing TTX based on a scenario of an outbreak caused by a novel coronavirus. In December 2019, through TTX, individual missions, epidemiological investigations, sample treatments, diagnosis by exclusions, and next generation sequencing analysis were discussed, and a novel coronavirus was identified as the causal pathogen.
Conclusion
Guideline and laboratory analyses for UDO successfully applied in TTX. Conclusions drawn from TTX could be applied effectively in the analyses for the initial response to COVID-19, an ongoing epidemic of 2019 – 2020. Therefore, TTX should continuously be conducted for the response and preparation against UDO.

Detection of Novel Coronavirus on the Surface of Environmental Materials Contaminated by COVID-19 Patients in the Republic of Korea: Sang-Eun Lee, Deog-Yong Lee, Wook-Gyo Lee, ByeongHak Kang, Yoon Suk Jang, Boyeong Ryu, SeungJae Lee, Hyunjung Bahk, Eungyu Lee; Osong Public Health Res Perspect. 2020;11(3):128-132. Published online May 8, 2020; DOI: https://doi.org/10.24171/j.phrp.2020.11.3.03

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17 Citations

Abstract PDF: This study aimed to determine the presence of SARS-CoV-2 on surfaces frequently touched by COVID-19 patients, and assess the scope of contamination and transmissibility in facilities where the outbreaks occurred. In the course of this epidemiological investigation, a total of 80 environmental specimens were collected from 6 hospitals (68 specimens) and 2 “mass facilities” (6 specimens from a rehabilitation center and 6 specimens from an apartment building complex). Specific reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction targeting of RNA-dependent RNA polymerase, and envelope genes, were used to identify the presence of this novel coronavirus. The 68 specimens from 6 hospitals (A, B, C, D, E, and G), where prior disinfection/cleaning had been performed before environmental sampling, tested negative for SARS-CoV-2. However, 2 out of 12 specimens (16.7%) from 2 “mass facilities” (F and H), where prior disinfection/cleaning had not taken place, were positive for SARS-CoV-2 RNA polymerase, and envelope genes. These results suggest that prompt disinfection and cleaning of potentially contaminated surfaces is an effective infection control measure. By inactivating SARS-CoV-2 with disinfection/cleaning the infectivity and transmission of the virus is blocked. This investigation of environmental sampling may help in the understanding of risk assessment of the COVID-19 outbreak in “mass facilities” and provide guidance in using effective disinfectants on contaminated surfaces.

Prevalence of Clonorchis sinensis Infections Along the Five Major Rivers in Republic of Korea, 2007: Hyun-Kyung Kim, Hyeng-Il Cheun, Byung-Suk Cheun, Ki-Yeon Lee, Tong-Soo Kim, Sang-Eun Lee, Won-ja Lee, Shin-Hyeong Cho; Osong Public Health Res Perspect. 2010;1(1):43-49. Published online December 31, 2010; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.phrp.2010.12.010

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19 Citations

Abstract PDF: Objectives
The prevalence of Clonorchis sinensis infection was investigated among residents of the five major river basins, that is, Hangang, Nakdonggang, Seomjingang, Yeongsangang, and Geumgang River basins in Korea.
Methods
From January to December 2007, a total of 31,268 stool samples were collected from 29 localities and examined by the formalin-ether sedimentation technique.
Results
Intestinal parasite eggs and/or protozoan cysts were detected from 2957 (9.5%) inhabitants. Number of residents harbouring helminth eggs in the faeces was 2542 (8.1%) for C. sinensis, 255 (0.8%) for Heterophyes spp., 36 (0.1%) for Echinostoma spp., 30 (0.1%) for Trichuris trichiura, 8 (0.03%) for Ascaris lumbricoides, 7 (0.02%) for Gymnophalloide seoi, and 50 (0.02%) for Trichostrongylus orientalis. Number of residents harbouring protozoan cysts in the faeces was 133 (1.3%) for Entamoeba spp. and 50 (0.2%) for Giardia lamblia. The positive rates of C. sinensis in Nakdonggang, Seomjingang, Yeongsangang, Geumgang, and Hangang River basins were 12.2%, 9.5%, 3.3%, 3.0%, and 1.0%, respectively. The egg positive rate of C. sinensis was higher in male (10.6%) than in female (6.1%), and the age group of 50s had the highest positive rate (10.4%).
Conclusion
The result of this study revealed little decrease in positive rate of C. sinensis compared with the result of southern endemic areas of Korea in 2006.

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