South Korea issues Japanese encephalitis warning

July 6 (UPI) -- Health authorities in South Korea are urging the public to get vaccinated after a species of mosquito capable of spreading the Japanese encephalitis virus was found in the country's southwest.

The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued the warning on Friday after a species of blood-feeding mosquito, culex pipiens, was found in relatively large numbers, Yonhap reported.

The warning comes after the government agency collected mosquito samples for two days in a week, according to KBS Radio.

The number of culex pipiens surpassed 500 per day sampled and health authorities concluded 65 percent of all sampled mosquitoes had virus-carrying potential.

Japanese encephalitis is a disease, sometimes deadly, that spreads through mosquito bites.

Symptoms include fever, vomiting, confusion and difficulty of movement and can take five to 15 days to emerge.

More serious symptoms include swelling of the brain and coma.

In South Korea 59 centers of various government agencies are monitoring the disease. A previous warning came on April 3, when culex pipiens was detected.

Warnings have not been issued for others parts of Korea, owing to the low percentage of sampled mosquitoes, or less than 50 percent, capable of carrying the virus outside South Jeolla Province.

Vaccinations are being recommended for children from the age of 12 months to 12 years.