Infection control of severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome in hospital settings and comprehensive reviews of nosocomial infections in South Korea


Kim Jeong Hyun, Seo Choong Won, Kim Eun Young, Lee Dong Han
Division of Infectious Disease Surveillance, Center for Control of Infectious Diseases, KCDC

Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is an emerging viral hemorrhagic fever caused by the SFTS virus, which is a tick-borne virus of the genus phlebovirus and family Bunyaviridae. The transmission of SFTS mainly occurs via tick-bites, but several cases of nosocomial outbreaks via human-to-human transmission have been reported. In this article, we aimed to suggest the guideline for infection control of SFTS in hospital settings through comprehensive reviews for case reports of nosocomial infections that occurred in South Korea. There have been three events of hospital infection of SFTS during procedures involving cardiopulmonary resuscitation or endotracheal intubation. It is necessary for health care personnel and environmental managers who care for patients with SFTS to follow the guideline for infection prevention and control.

Keywords: Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome, Nosocomial infections, Infection control, Tick bites, Phlebovirus