Public health emergency preparedness and response in Korea

Infectious disease control and prevention in Korea are handled based on laws such as the Framework Act on the Management of Disasters and Safety and the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act. To fill the gaps in the national public health system that were identified during the 2015 Middle East respiratory syndrome outbreak in Korea, Korea has strengthened its capacity to prepare for and respond to public health emergency. The objectives are to prevent, promptly detect, and rapidly respond to imported infectious diseases; to fully mobilize public health and medical resources; to revise governance enhancing the role of the centralized decision-making structures; and to improve health care facilities to prevent health care-associated infections.