Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency Director Ji Young-mi speaks at the 3rd meeting of the Respiratory Infectious Disease Joint Response Team held at the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency on Nov. 9./Courtesy of Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency will enhance its strategy for rapid response to new pandemics starting this year. It plans to utilize artificial intelligence (AI) to predict infectious diseases and support research and development (R&D) for vaccines and treatments.

To achieve vaccine self-sufficiency, it plans to secure messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) vaccine platform technology and swiftly advance four preclinical studies and two phase 1 clinical trials in R&D. It will also support rapid entry into preclinical and clinical phases for treatment by securing antibody development platforms for Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS), and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency announced its '2025 Key Business Promotion Plan' on the 21st. Director Jeong Yeong-mi noted, 'In 2025, we will provide surveillance and prediction information on health threats and establish a response system for infectious diseases that citizens can trust.' She added, 'We will strengthen management to prevent chronic diseases and health threats in daily life and realize a country strong in health research through public health crisis and future response research.'

◇“Prepare in advance for new infectious diseases and precisely eliminate endemic infectious diseases.”

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency will focus on early detection of infectious disease syndromes and outbreaks starting this year. To do this, it will expand monitoring points for community sewage and pathogen types to complement its monitoring system and establish an integrated alert system for early detection of infectious disease syndromes and outbreaks.

A plan to actively introduce AI has also been proposed. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency plans to develop predictive simulations estimating the spatiotemporal transmission patterns of infectious diseases with a high possibility of pandemic by 2026. In the second half of this year, it will pilot the Korea-based infectious disease prediction hub, which can conduct medium- to long-term predictions, in collaboration with multi-disciplinary experts in AI, mathematics, and statistics.

To enhance safety during entry and exit for overseas travel, the number of respiratory infectious disease quarantine stations at Gimpo and Jeju airports will increase from one to five.

An operational system for medical response to infectious disease outbreaks will also be maintained. The agency plans to stockpile medicines through expert advisory committees and to produce anthrax vaccines domestically to respond swiftly to biological threats.

In line with the changed patterns of influenza outbreaks, including simultaneous outbreaks of COVID-19, the criteria for warning of outbreaks will be improved. Customized strategies for eliminating infectious diseases such as hepatitis C, malaria, tuberculosis, and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) will also be implemented.

When respiratory infectious diseases are prevalent, joint countermeasures will be implemented by relevant departments and private experts. The approach will follow the inter-departmental One Health governance as detailed in the 'Korean-style One Health Joint Action Plan,' established last month.

On Nov. 15, a Seoul Metropolitan Government official holds a sign urging mask wearing during the 'Self-Mask Wearing Practice Public Campaign' held at Euljiro Entrance Station in Jung-gu, Seoul to prevent the spread of respiratory infectious diseases./Courtesy of News1

◇“Strengthening chronic disease management systems in an aging society... leading health and medical research.”

As of the 23rd of last month, with the country officially entering a super-aged society, the management system for chronic diseases among the elderly will also be restructured.

In the first half of this year, strategies tailored to frailty stages and the residential types of the elderly will be devised, and a monitoring system will be established utilizing national health surveys. A follow-up study from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey will be implemented to identify changes in individual health levels and investigate the occurrence and causes of chronic diseases. A World Health Organization (WHO) collaborating center will also be designated for chronic disease investigation and monitoring.

The number of rare diseases eligible for medical expense support will increase from 1,272 to 1,338, an increase of 66 diseases. Diagnostic support will also expand from 410 to approximately 800 individuals.

Due to climate change extending heatwave durations, the risk level for heat-related illnesses, which are emerging annually, will be piloted from May for about five months.

Efforts to secure mRNA vaccine platform technology for vaccine self-sufficiency will commence. A roadmap for vaccine self-sufficiency will be developed in the first half of this year to systematically operate R&D projects. Development of therapeutic antibodies will also be enhanced.

To this end, genomic and AI-based biohealth data will be expanded, and biohealth data will be secured to realize precision medicine.

Support for advanced regenerative medicine research aims to promote domestic regenerative medicine studies. Stem cell therapies are a representative example. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency plans to support the manufacturing of stem cell therapies and expand the allocation of stem cell lines to researchers to facilitate therapeutic development.

◇“Leading global public health.”

Given its recognition as a model case for the international response to COVID-19, the country will assess its crisis response capabilities during the upcoming Joint External Evaluation (JEE) of the International Health Regulations (IHR) by the WHO in August. It plans to address any shortcomings to prepare for future health crises.

The WHO collaboration center for pandemic response will be fully operational to strengthen cooperative response systems in the international community.

Support will also be provided for infectious disease responses in recipient countries such as Laos, ASEAN, and Mongolia. Necessary technology for surveillance, diagnosis, and crisis response will be supported, along with the promotion of official development assistance (ODA) projects.