Infectious disease prevention and control plan

• The Master Plan of Infectious Disease Control and Prevention is a mid- to long-term comprehensive plan that establishes systematic and integrated measures the state must primarily implement over the next five years to prevent and control infectious diseases in order to protect public safety and health.
• In June 2023, the 3rd Master Plan (2023–2027) of Infectious Disease Prevention and Control was established and implemented based on the following four strategic directions: ▲ Advancement of preparedness and response to infectious disease crises; ▲ Proactive and comprehensive prevention and control of infectious diseases; ▲ Research and technological innovation for infectious disease control; and ▲ Strengthening of infectious disease response infrastructure. Under these, 16 core tasks and 55 detailed tasks were formulated and promoted.

• The World Health Organization (WHO), in order to reduce deaths and disease burden caused by the chronic progression of viral hepatitis such as cirrhosis and liver cancer, has set elimination targets for viral hepatitis (a 95% reduction in hepatitis B incidence and a 65% reduction in mortality by 2030 compared to 2015) and urged countries to establish national response plans. Accordingly, Korea established the "1st Master Plan for the Control of Viral Hepatitis (Hepatitis B and C) (2023–2027).”
• With the fundamental direction of “establishing a proactive full-cycle (prevention–detection/diagnosis–treatment) hepatitis management system,” the plan sets forth the following four strategic approaches: ▲ Strengthening proactive hepatitis prevention and control; ▲ Active detection and management of hepatitis patients; ▲ Systematizing treatment linkage by population groups; and ▲ Reinforcing the foundation for comprehensive hepatitis control. A total of 12 detailed tasks under these strategies have been formulated and implemented to work toward the elimination of hepatitis.

• In 2023, the “2nd National Plan for the Prevention and Control of Zoonotic Infectious Diseases” was established in response to the growing need for proactive prevention and integrated response to zoonotic infectious diseases that connect humans, animals, and the environment, amid changing circumstances such as climate change, the increase in companion animals, and the heightened risk of introduction, occurrence, and spread of infectious diseases due to accelerated global exchange.

In April 2024, the 2nd National Strategic Plan for Malaria Re-Elimination (2024–2028) was established with the goal of eradicating malaria in Korea by 2030. The plan includes strategies to ▲ strengthen patient surveillance and risk management, ▲ reinforce vector mosquito monitoring and control, ▲ promote cooperation and communication systems, and ▲ establish a foundation for malaria elimination.

The 3rd Comprehensive Tuberculosis Management Plan (2023–2027) was established to strengthen full-cycle support for tuberculosis, promoting strategies for prevention and early detection of tuberculosis, patient treatment and management, innovation in prevention, diagnosis, and treatment technologies, and reinforcement of policy implementation and support systems, with the goal of reducing the TB incidence rate to 20 or fewer cases per 100,000 people by 2027.

• To achieve the international goal of ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCP) is implementing five-year HIV/AIDS prevention and control plans based on the Prevention of Acquired Immunodeficiency Sydrome Act.
• The 2nd AIDS Prevention and Control Plan (2024–2028) presents the vision of “Towards zero new infections, zero deaths, and zero discrimination” and sets the goal of "reducing new infections by 50% compared to 2023 levels by 2030." In addition, to effectively achieve the goals, the prevention and control plan seeks to implement 15 core tasks and 45 detailed tasks under five major strategies: (1) Prevention of new infections, (2) Active case detection, (3) Rapid and continuous treatment, (4) Protection of health rights, and (5) Establishment of a management foundation.