[State of Local Infectious Disease Response Personnel Before and After the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic]

With the amendment of the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act, 'investigations of actual conditions of infectious diseases' have been mandated to be conducted and published every 3 years to understand the actual conditions of the management and infection status of infectious diseases. The first phase of this survey generated foundational data on the occurrence of legally mandated infectious diseases before and after the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and the status of local government infectious disease response personnel. In this study, we focused on the key findings of this survey regarding the status of local government infectious disease response personnel. All metropolitan governments and 93.3% of local municipal governments participated in the survey. The primary content of the survey focused on the organizational structure for infectious disease response before (as of December 31, 2019) and after (as of December 31, 2023) the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the current status of personnel, such as disease control officers and epidemiologists, dedicated to legally mandated infectious diseases. The survey revealed an increase in the number of infectious disease organizations in both metropolitan and local municipal governments from 2019 to 2023. This survey was the first to be conducted following the revision of the Act and reflects the unique circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic. The survey findings highlights the significance of cooperation and communication with metropolitan and local municipal governments to refine the purpose and content of future infectious disease surveys and establish a stable survey system.