Conducting diagnosis and analysis of high-risk pathogens

Operating diagnostic tests, analysis, and diagnostic test systems for high-risk pathogens with high mortality rates, such as Ebola virus disease, Marburg fever, anthrax, and plague (class 1 infectious diseases, as well as melioidosis and mpox)

Performing diagnostic tests and analysis for high-risk pathogens, including bioterrorism infectious diseases such as Ebola virus disease, Marburg fever, anthrax, and plague (class 1 infectious diseases and mpox), and establishing and operating a diagnostic test system, along with the operation of a national standard laboratory for this purpose

• Table 1 | Confirmation Diagnostics for High-Risk Pathogens

  (Unit: cases)

  Category	Pathogen/Infection disease	2024
  		Request	Positive
  High-risk bacteria and toxins	Pest	0	0
  	Anthrax	6	0
  	Botulism	5	0
  	Tularemia	7	0
  	Melioidosis	0	0
  High-risk viral hemorrhagic fevers and smallpox	Ebola virus disease	1	0
  	Marburg hemorrhagic fever	0	0
  	Lassa fever	0	0
  	Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever	0	0
  	Rift Valley fever	0	0
  	Smallpox	0	0
  Total		21	0

  Source: Infectious Disease Portal (Infectious Disease Statistics)
• Laboratory diagnostic tests are being conducted for suspected cases of high-risk pathogens such as anthrax, pest, and Ebola virus disease.
• Since the confirmation of the first domestic case of mpox in 2022, diagnostic testing has been conducted by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency and municipal health and environment research institutes across the country, and the Disease Control and Prevention Agency is continuously analyzing the genomic data of the mpox pathogen (Monkeypox virus).

• Operating a national standard laboratory for high-risk pathogens to ensure the accuracy and reliability of laboratory tests as a pathogen verification institution under the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act
  
  

  Table 2 | Status of Operation of National Standard Laboratory for High-Risk Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers

  Target Infectious Diseases	Scope of Recognition	Responsible Department
  Ebola virus disease	Testing, proficiency evaluation operation, and crisis response	Diagnostic Analysis Bureau High-Risk Pathogen Analysis Division
  Marburg hemorrhagic fever	Testing, proficiency evaluation operation, and crisis response
  Lassa fever	Testing, proficiency evaluation operation, and crisis response
  Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever	Testing, proficiency evaluation operation, and crisis response

• Development, distribution, and standardization of diagnostic testing methods
  • Establishment of standard operating procedures for laboratory testing methods for high-risk hemorrhagic viruses such as Ebola Virus Disease and high-risk bacteria such as anthrax, along with training and distribution of testing methods to local governments
  • Development of laboratory testing reagents for high-risk pathogens such as mpox
• Production of standard materials for diagnostic tests
  • Production of standard materials for 10 high-risk viruses (synthetic RNA) including Marburg virus and Lassa virus, as well as genetic material (DNA) for Burkholderia pseudomallei and botulinum bacteria (A, B, E, F).

• Training and proficiency evaluation for quality management of diagnostic tests in high-risk pathogen testing institutions
  • Conducting training and proficiency evaluation for genetic detection tests for 5 high-risk hemorrhagic viruses, including Ebola virus disease, at 6 health and environment research institutes
  • Conducting proficiency evaluation for culturing tests of high-risk bacteria (yersinia pestis, burkholderia pseudomallei) at 5 health and environment research institutes and 2 related agencies of the Ministry of National Defense
  • Conducting proficiency evaluation for genetic detection tests for 6 high-risk pathogens at 12 health and environment research institutes