▲ Photo courtesy makamuki0

Another Jeju citizen has been diagnosed with the SFTS virus, reports the Jeju Public Health Centre, called Bogeonso in Korean, bringing the total number of people on the Island to have contracted the tick-borne disease to 16 for the year.

The 70-year-old Jeju City male was receiving nerve treatment when it was discovered he was infected with the disease.

It is believed that the patient, who raises several dogs and cultivates a garden on his property, contracted the disease when he was bitten by a tick.

SFTS is most commonly transmitted by ticks and resides within the human body for between one and two weeks. Symptoms include vomiting, diarrhea and loss of appetite, and infection occasionally results in death.

Three people on Jeju have died from the disease this year.

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The Jeju Public Health Center tips on preventing infection

<To prevent tick bites>

○ Before going outside

- Separate work clothes from daily clothes

- Tighten shirt sleeves and tuck pants into socks

- Use tick repellent

○ When outside

- Use a mat when sitting on the ground

- Use washroom facilities

- Do not walk off of designated trails

- Keep away from animals that could be potentially carrying ticks

○ After returning indoors

- Immediately wash all clothing

- Bathe and carefully inspect body for ticks

- If within two weeks symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhea and loss of appetite appear, visit a hospital immediately