[Addition of Three Viruses to the High-risk Pathogens of the Infectious Disease Prevention and Management Act]

According to the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) had designated 36 pathogens as high-risk pathogens (HRPs) because of their potential to pose a serious threat to public health and their possible use in bioterrorism. The KDCA is responsible for the national biosafety management of these pathogens. In July 2023, Chapare virus and Lujo virus, both hemorrhagic fever viruses classified under Risk Group 4, along with poliovirus, which is targeted for eradication according to the World Health Organization Global Action Plan Ⅲ, were added to the list of HRPs. This revision has increased the total number of HRPs under national biosafety management to 39. The KDCA will continue to monitor and update the HRPs that require biosafety management in response to the changing environment, which includes emerging and re-emerging pathogens, as well as those requiring international cooperation for biosafety management.