title: Epidemiological characteristics of serologically confirmed q Fever cases in South Korea, 2006-2011.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Q fever has been reported worldwide; however, there was almost no official report of Q fever in Korea. In this study, we describe the current status of human Q fever occurrence in Korea.
  
  
  METHODS
  Demographic data of Q fever patients were collected from the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System from 2006 to 2011. Case investigation reports from regional public health departments were used for additional information, like risk factors and clinical manifestation, of the patients since 2008.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were 65 serologically confirmed cases during the study period. The annual notification rate of Q fever was 0.22 cases per million persons. The majority of cases were men (87.7%), adults (98.5%), and urban inhabitants (67.7%). Relevant exposures to risk factors were identified in 45.7% of patients. The most common symptoms of acute Q fever were fever (89.3%), myalgia (67.9%) and asthenia (53.6%). Two cases with endocarditis were identified in chronic Q fever.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study suggests that Q fever has a low endemicity in Korea. However, management and research at national level is required for prevention of a future epidemic.
authors.affiliation: Division of Epidemic Intelligence Service, Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Osong, Korea .
authors.forename: Wooseok
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Kwak
authors.forename: Hyuk
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Chu
authors.forename: Seondo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hwang
authors.forename: Ji-Hyuk
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Kyu Jam
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Hwang
authors.forename: Jin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gwack
authors.forename: Young-Sil
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Seung-Ki
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Youn
authors.forename: Mi-Yeoun
authors.initials: MY
authors.lastname: Park
keywords: Coxiella burnetii; Q fever; South Korea; epidemiology