In order to compare the epidemiological aspects of human brucellosis (HB) and human leptospirosis (HL) outbreaks in Korea, we have analyzed the current state both of the disease incidence and related risk factors. A total 651 cases of HB occurred between 2001 and 2010 in Korea, and the average incidence rate per 100,000 populations was 0.15. A total 1,153 of HL cases occurred during the same period, and its rate was 0.24. While most of the HB prevalence occurred in the whole year round, prevalence in summer was more prominent for HB (p < 0.01), while outbreaks in autumn was more frequent for HL (p < 0.01). Geographical distribution HB cases were eastern and western regions of the rural (88.6% of total) in the Korean peninsula, showing higher outbreaks than other areas, while HL occurred in easterly regions (64.5%). Significantly more males were infected in both HB (86.8%) and HL (59.5%) than those of females in both HB (13.1%) and HL (41.1%), respectively (p < 0.01). The distribution by age groups were different between HB and HL, while the outbreaks over 62.1% of the cases of HB occurred in 40- to 59-year-old age group, and that of HL was clearly showing a high incidence in the elderly age over 60-year-old (59.6%) (p < 0.01). In both diseases, elderly people especially in famers showed a very high incidence rate (57.9% of HB and 52.2% of HL), which is possible due to increased outdoor activities and a decreased number of young people in those areas. The occupational distribution of HB cases was famers, veterinarians, dairyman and others, and those of HL cases were broad. In conclusion, the difference between HB and HL risk factors reflects the different influence of host/vector, climate, and geographical and environmental characteristics in the epidemiological patterns.KeywordsHuman brucellosis and leptospirosis; Epidemic aspects; Risk factors

BackgroundAlcohol consumption and related alcohol liver disease (ALD) have substantially increased in Korea during the last decade. The objective of this study was to evaluate the trends in the epidemiological aspects and mortality rate (MR) of Korea in the decade between 2000 and 2009.MethodsThe raw data analyzed in this study were obtained from the website of “the ALD” managed by Korea Center for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC), Korea Public Health Association (KPHA), and statistics website of Statistics Korea. The data analyses were performed using Excel 2007 statistical software (Microsoft Corp., USA).ResultsThe amount of alcohol-consumption-per-capita-per-year (ACCY) in Korea was 8.38 L in 2000 and 8.54 L in 2009. The most taken alcoholic beverage was soju, followed by beer. There were a total of 1,403 case-fatalities (CF) with an MR of 2.98 per 100,000 populations of ALD in 2000, while a total of 3,588 CF with an MR of 7.21 in 2009 (P < 0.01). The CF and MR of ALD in males were significantly higher than those in females (P < 0.01). In over 40-year-old age groups, the CF and MR were significantly increased (P < 0.01). Moreover, occupational classification revealed that the mistress/students/jobless (MSJ) were the most risky group. The comparison of overall CF and MR of ALD by six key classifications (International Classification of Diseases (ICD)) showed that alcoholic cirrhosis (229 CF and 16.3%) in 2000 tended to be increased in 2009 (2,803 CF and 78.1%), while alcoholic fibrosis and sclerosis (607 CF and 43.3%) in 2000 significantly decreased in 2009 (120 CF and 3.3%), respectively.ConclusionALD is one of the most severe diseases in Korea, as indicated by its high CF and MR in this study. As over-consumption of alcoholic beverages is relatively common in Korea, more efforts should be made toward prevention of ALD by raising awareness of the risk factors of ALD by public health education.