Eun Ju Choo

Song JY, et al. Infect Chemother. 2026 ;58:e46. https://doi.org/10.3947/ic.2026.0063

Hae-Jin Oh, Junghee Kim, Jihea Choi, Eun Ju Choo. Korean J healthc assoc Infect Control Prev 2025;30:171-80. https://doi.org/10.14192/kjicp.2025.30.2.171

In South Korea, the increasing incidence of herpes zoster (HZ) and aging population warrant consideration of HZ vaccination for older adults. There is a need to understand the HZ vaccine-related preferences of adults aged ≥50 years and adult children (working or financially independent adults contributing to healthcare decision-making for their parents aged ≥50 years). A discrete choice experiment was conducted to elicit HZ vaccine preferences of the HZ-naïve general public aged ≥50 years (n = 500), current/former HZ patients aged ≥50 years (n = 150), and adult children (n = 150). An online questionnaire was administered through March-May 2023; for each preference-elicitation question, respondents selected between three hypothetical HZ vaccine profiles, characterized by five attributes with varying levels, or "no vaccine". Respondents generally accepted an increased number of doses (from one to two) for a longer protection duration (from ≥4 to ≥7 or ≥10 years). By mean relative importance (RI), protection duration (RI: 37.1%; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 36.0%, 38.1%), lifetime HZ risk reduction (27.3%; 95% CI: 26.3%, 28.4%) and short-term side effects (14.9%; 95% CI: 14.1%, 15.6%) had the strongest impact on respondents' HZ vaccine decision-making. Adult children viewed short-term side effects with significantly greater RI than the general public and current/former HZ patients (19.1%, 13.5%, 15.2%, respectively, p < .001). Respondents with selected comorbidities placed higher RI than those without comorbidities on protection duration (39.3% versus 34.2%, p < .001) and lower RI on prevention of HZ-related complications (8.7% versus 10.4%, p = .007). Findings may guide health policy design/refinement and physician-patient conversations on HZ vaccination/vaccines.

Park WB, et al. Infect Chemother. 2025 Dec;57:e74. https://doi.org/10.3947/ic.2025.0130

Song JY, et al. Infect Chemother. 2025 Sep;57:e50. https://doi.org/10.3947/ic.2025.0042

Song JY, et al. Infect Chemother. 2025 Apr;57:e30. https://doi.org/10.3947/ic.2025.0033

Park WB, et al. Infect Chemother. 2024 Dec;56:e68. https://doi.org/10.3947/ic.2024.0142

Choi WS, et al. Infect Chemother. 2024 Jun;56:e28. https://doi.org/10.3947/ic.2023.0072

Since severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) can be transmitted even in the absence of symptoms, it can be difficult to prevent its transmission within healthcare facilities. This study aimed to investigate whether initial screening tests and quarantine are still necessary for in-hospital close contact patients in the Omicron-dominant era. This retrospective, observational study was performed at a tertiary hospital in South Korea, comprising mostly multi-bed rooms, with four or five beds each. Real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for SARS-CoV-2 was performed on the first and fourth day of quarantine, using a PowerChekTM 2019-nCoV Real-time PCR Kit (Kogenebiotech, Seoul, Korea) or an Allplex 2019-nCoV Assay (Seegene, Seoul, Korea). If relevant symptoms developed during quarantine, testing was promptly performed, regardless of the established schedule. This study suggests that screening and quarantine are still necessary for close contact inpatients in the Omicron variant era. Testing intervals and the duration of quarantine may need adjustment considering the current shortage of isolation rooms, testing capacity, and healthcare personnel. All Authors: No reported disclosures

In this observational study conducted in 2022, 12.3% of patients who shared a room with a patient positive for severe acute respiratory coronavirus virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) also had a positive polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test, either at initial screening or during a 5-day quarantine. Therefore, screening and quarantine are still necessary within hospitals for close-contact inpatients during the SARS-CoV-2 omicron-variant dominant period.