Korea has adopted Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) officers through the Field Epidemiology Training Program (FETP) since 1999 for systematic control of emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases. Graduates of medical schools in Korea are selected and serve as public health doctors (PHDs) for their mandatory military service. The duration of service is 3 years and PHDs comprise general practitioners and specialists. Some PHDs are selected as EIS officers with 3 weeks basic FETP training and work for central and provincial public health authorities to conduct epidemiological investigations. The total number of EIS officers is 31 as of 2012. The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) has 12 specialists, whereas specialists and each province has one or two EIS officers to administer local epidemiological investigations in 253 public health centers. The Korean EIS officers have successfully responded and prevented infectious diseases, but there is a unique limitation: the number of PHDs in Korea is decreasing and PHDs are not allowed to stay outside Korea, which makes it difficult to cope with overseas infectious diseases. Furthermore, after 3 years service, they quit and their experiences are not accumulated. KCDC has hired full-time EIS officers since 2012 to overcome this limitation.
Citations
Citations to this article as recorded by
A resposta da Coreia do Sul à pandemia de COVID-19: lições aprendidas e recomendações a gestores Thais Regis Aranha Rossi, Catharina Leite Matos Soares, Gerluce Alves Silva, Jairnilson Silva Paim, Lígia Maria Vieira-da-Silva Cadernos de Saúde Pública.2022;[Epub] CrossRef
Turnover Intention among Field Epidemiologists in South Korea Sukhyun Ryu International Journal of Environmental Research an.2020; 17(3): 949. CrossRef
National Response to COVID-19 in the Republic of Korea and Lessons Learned for Other Countries Juhwan Oh, Jong-Koo Lee, Dan Schwarz, Hannah L. Ratcliffe, Jeffrey F. Markuns, Lisa R. Hirschhorn Health Systems & Reform.2020;[Epub] CrossRef
Steering the Private Sector in COVID-19 Diagnostic Test Kit Development in South Korea Sora Lee Frontiers in Public Health.2020;[Epub] CrossRef
Experience of 16 years and its associated challenges in the Field Epidemiology Training Program in Korea Moo-Sik Lee, Eun-Young Kim, Sang-Won Lee Epidemiology and Health.2017; 39: e2017058. CrossRef
The direction of restructuring of a Korea field epidemiology training program through questionnaire survey among communicable disease response staff in Korea Moo Sik Lee, Kwan Lee, Jee-Hyuk Park, Jee-Young Hong, Min-Young Jang, Byoung-Hak Jeon, Sang-Yun Cho, Sun-Ja Choi, JeongIk Hong Epidemiology and Health.2017; 39: e2017032. CrossRef
Review for the Korean Health Professionals and International Cooperation Doctors Dispatched to Peru by the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) Bongyoung Kim Osong Public Health and Research Perspectives.2015; 6(2): 133. CrossRef
From Seoul to Lima: Korean Doctors in Peru Hae-Wol Cho, Chaeshin Chu Osong Public Health and Research Perspectives.2015; 6(2): 71. CrossRef
Emerging Pathogens and Vehicles of Food- and Water-borne Disease Outbreaks in Korea, 2007–2012 Shinje Moon, Il-Woong Sohn, Yeongseon Hong, Hyungmin Lee, Ji-Hyuk Park, Geun-Yong Kwon, Sangwon Lee, Seung-Ki Youn Osong Public Health and Research Perspectives.2014; 5(1): 34. CrossRef