• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.122-129
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• 2001

Purpose : After Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is known to be a fatal disease, efforts and studies are made to determine the cause, treatment method and method of preventing infection. However, no treatment method is present and vaccine development has not been made. Therefore, the most effective treatment method is prevention, and almost 100% prevention is possible when correct preventive measures are taken. We suggest effective prevention education by comparing knowledge and attitude of those unmarried men who had sexual encounters with prostitutes (high risk group) and those with no sexual encounters with prostitutes (low risk group). Methods : From January 1, 2000 to June 30, 2000, a survey was done in 516 unmarried soldiers and college students. With the collected data, chi-square test was used to compare and analyze the demographic characteristic, knowledge on AIDS, and attitude on AIDS between the high risk group and low risk group. One-way ANOVA test was used to compare and analyze the scores on knowledge between these two groups. Results : Among 516 unmarried men, 256 men (49.6%) fell into the high risk group and 260 men (50.4%) into the low risk group. Both groups showed that they heard of AIDS during their middle school years. The main route of obtaining knowledge on AIDS was through TV programs with 124 men(48.4%) in the high risk group and 167 men (64.2%) in the low risk group (P=0.002). Among 20 items, the average score on knowledge was $13.9{\pm}1.9$ in the high risk group and $14.1{\pm}1.8$ in the low risk group with no statistical difference between these two groups (P=0.191). Two items showed statistical significance in the low risk group compared with the high risk group; these were the item of AIDS being transmitted through transfusion (P=0.014) and through mosquitoes (P=0.009). As for attitude, statistical significance was present in the item stating that AIDS patients should be isolated in the high risk group compared with the low risk group (P=0.029). Conclusions : The present study showed that both the high risk group and low risk group obtained knowledge on AIDS through TV. No statistical difference was present between the two groups other than the high risk group showed statistically high results in two items on knowledge and one item on attitude. Thus, these results showed that exposure to AIDS can be lowered with better knowledge and the attitude of those with a low risk of infection was more positive.

• The Korean Society of Law and Medicine
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.197-225
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• 2015

The presentation of this paper was triggered by the spread of MERS in Korea in the year 2015. The analysis of the present acts related with MERS is necessary in order to cope efficiently with any probable spread of such infectious diseases as MERS in future. The acts that should be analyzed in this paper include 'Medical Service Act' and 'Infectious Disease Control And Prevention Act' (hereafter, IDCAPA). At first the classification of the infectious diseases in IDCAPA should be referred to. The Act does not properly classify them because the scope of concept of each group of the infectious diseases overlaps each other. This overlap should be removed. The present system in IDCAPA is not proper for the efficient notification and reporting of the infectious disease patients. This is so in some viewpoints including the persons obligated to make the notification and reporting, the persons to whom they should notify and report such patients, and the process of notification and reporting. The efficient approach to the information related with the infectious disease is necessary for the rapid prevention of its spread. Cohort isolation and quarantine of the infectious patients and exposed contacts are the strongest and most efficient steps for the prevention of spread of the infectious diseases. One of the great problems related with such steps would be the conflict of powers or attributions, the likelihood of which is inevitable under the present system of IDCAPA. The IDCAPA distributed the power or attribution to take the steps to the three governments including the central government, the metropolitan government and the primary local government. The power should be concentrated in the central government, which could afford financially to compensate for the huge amount of damages caused likely by the steps. The power to take the steps would be actually just a useless thing for its holder without such financial capacity. The remedy for the victims by the fault of spreader should be approached to in the sense of national wealth. The general principle of tort law could not supply the victims with the sufficient remedy because the damages would be likely too huge for the wealth of such spreader to cope with. In future another parliamentary inspection could reveal another problems in the administration by the government of the MERS event in the year 2015. Any problem caused by defect in the legal system of the control and prevention of the infectious diseases should be taken into consideration when the legal system would be reformed in future.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.158-169
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• 2004

Purpose : Although influenza is one of the most important cause of acute respiratory tract infections in children, virus isolation is not popular and there are only a few clinical studies on influenza and diagnostic methods. We evaluated the epidemiological and clinical features of influenza in children and rapid antigen detection test(QuickVue influenza test) on fist half of the year 2004 in Busan. Methods : From January 2004 to June 2004, throat swab and nasal secretion were obtained and cultured for the isolation of influenza virus and tested by rapid antigen detection test(QuickVue influenza test) in children with suspected influenza infections. The medical records of patients with influenza virus infection were reviewed retrospectively. Results : Influenza viruses were isolated in 79(17.2%) out of 621 patients examined. Influenza virus was isolated mainly from March to April 2004. The ratio of male and female with influenza virus infection was 1.2 : 1 with median age of 4 years 6month. The most common clinical diagnosis of influenza virus infection was bronchitis. There was no difference between influenza A and B infection in clinical diagnosis and symptoms. All patients recovered without severe complication. The sensitivity obtained for rapid antigen detection test (QuickVue influenza test) was 93.6% and the specificity was 80.2%, the positive predictive value 40.8%, the negative predictive value 98.8%. Conclusion : With rapid antigen detection test, it is possible early detection of influenza in children. reduction in use of antimicrobial agent and early use of antiviral agent.