The government will push to upgrade infectious disease crisis preparedness and response, preemptive management, and innovation in infectious disease management research and technology to prevent and manage infectious diseases.
The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KCDA) released the 3rd Basic Plan for Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases (2023-2027) on Thursday.
The basic plan proposed 16 critical tasks to promote:
● Enhancing infectious disease crisis preparedness and response.
● Implementing and comprehensive infectious disease prevention and management.
● Conducting Research and technology innovation for infectious disease management.
● Solidifying infectious disease response infrastructure.
To enhance infectious disease crisis preparedness and response, the government plans to build on its experience in responding to Covid-19 to enhance its public health crisis preparedness system and response capabilities and strengthen biosecurity, including managing high-risk pathogens.
It specifically calls for educating first responders, reserving quarantine personnel to perform their duties during infectious disease crises, and training epidemiologists and global leaders for international coordination.
In addition, it will establish a rapid response system for diagnostic tests used during infectious disease crises by introducing a certification system for testing laboratories so that tests can be performed immediately regardless of the type of infectious disease. It aims to certify eight private organizations by 2027.
Regarding proactive and comprehensive prevention and management of infectious diseases, the plan includes strengthening the management of antibiotic resistance by, for instance, expanding the number of general hospitals participating in the Antibiotic Appropriate Use Management Program for Healthcare Organizations.
To prevent infectious diseases at all times, the government will also develop monitoring indicators for weak infection control institutions, including nursing homes, and prepare infection control education measures for non-medical personnel, such as caregivers.
As part of its fight against other chronic infectious diseases, the government supports screening and confirmatory tests for those at risk of transmission and outbreaks, such as care facility workers and caregivers, to reduce the number of TB cases.
To prevent and manage viral hepatitis, it will particularly push to include hepatitis C in national health checkups while linking post-examination management and treatment.
Through these measures, KDCA aims to reduce the hepatitis C death rate from 2.5 per 100,000 people today to 1.5 by 2027.
Regarding infectious disease management research and technological innovation, the agency plans to lead research on diagnostic technologies, vaccines, and therapeutics by integrating and linking data on infectious diseases that have been collected and managed separately and using various surveillance and survey results as a basis for policy formulation.
To upgrade infectious disease diagnosis technology, it will preemptively build diagnostic tests for future infectious and unexplained infectious diseases that can enter and spread in Korea.
Lastly, to solidify the infrastructure for responding to infectious diseases, the government plans to overhaul laws and systems by reflecting opinions from the field and solidifying the infrastructure needed to respond to infectious diseases, including medical facilities and quarantine supplies.
Concerning rebuilding laws and systems, the government will establish a governance system by streamlining the role of leading organizations, including KDCA, the Ministry of Health and Welfare, and other related agencies and local administrations, in each crisis stage.
In addition, it will establish and operate an integrated infodemic information center to minimize the damage caused by false and manipulated information while reinvigorating participation in public communication.
Besides, the government plans to expand central and regional infectious disease hospitals for hospitalized treatment of high-risk patients and establish a crisis equipment supply and management system.
"We will establish a detailed strategy for each basic plan’s implementation and prepare an enforcement program tailored to regional conditions in cooperation with local governments,” KDCA Commissioner Jee Young-mee said. “We will ensure that infectious disease prevention and management policies will be implemented smoothly for the next five years."