말라리아는 말라리아원충에 감염된 Anopheles속 모기에 의해 매개되는 질병이다. 한국의 Anopheles속 Hyrcanus group 모기 가운데 특히 Anopheles kleini, Anopheles lesteri, Anopheles pullus는 말라리아 주요 매개충으로 알려져 있다. 한국의 말라리아는 휴전선 인접지역을 중심으로 환자 발생이 지속되고 있으며 이와 더불어 한국의 기후는 점차 아열대 기후로 변화하고 있다. 이러한 기후변화가 한국의 말라리아 전파력에 미치는 영향을 예측하기 위하여 말라리아 위험지역 가운데 경기 서북부 지역인 파주, 김포, 강화 세 지역의 소 축사에서 2014년과 2015년 6월부터 9월까지 채집된 모기의 월별 종 분포를 분석하였으며, 이러한 종 분포와 기후조건과의 관계를 통계분석 하였다. 기후조건으로는 채집일 기준 14일 전까지의 평균기온, 풍속, 강수량, 습도를 이용하였으며 Hyrcanus group 모기 6종(Anopheles belenrae, An. kleini, An. lesteri, An. pullus, Anopheles sinensis, Anopheles sineroides)의 분포를 로지스틱 회귀분석을 통하여 분석하였고, 상관관계를 확인하기 위하여 정준상관분석(Canonical correlation analysis)을 실시하였다. 분석결과, 강수량과의 연관성은 찾지 못하였으나, An. kleini, An. lesteri, An. pullus는 기온이 상승했을 때 Hyrcanus group 내에서의 분포가 증가할 가능성이 있는 것으로 나타났다. 또한 An. sinensis는 풍속과 습도가 높을 경우 증가할 것으로 나타났으며 이를 제외한 나머지 종들은 풍속과 습도가 낮을 경우 증가하는 것으로 나타났다. 이러한 분석 결과를 바탕으로 현재 한반도의 기온이 점점 상승하는 환경은 말라리아 주요 매개충이 서식하기 좋은 환경으로, 기존의 북한과 인접한 DMZ 부근에서 발생하던 말라리아가 한반도 내 다른 지역으로 분포 지역이 확대될 가능성이 있음을 시사한다.

Ecological changes, both man-made and natural, have changed the landscape of the Republic of Korea following the end of Japanese occupation at the end of World War II (1939-1945). During the Japanese occupation, forested hillsides were cleared and wood products shipped to Japan, leaving the hills and mountains largely covered by grasses and other shrub vegetation. Following WWII, the country of Korea was divided into North and South Koreas, with North Korea under communist powers, while South Korea was established as a democratic government. In South Korea poverty was rampant and local populations scavenged for wood for cooking and heating during the cold winters. Just as economic conditions were increasing, South Korea was attached by North Korea, beginning a long drawn-out conflict from 1950 to the summer of 1953, whereby an armistice was signed and an often uneasy peace between the two countries continues today. Again, the Republic of Korea emerged from a War as an impoverished country with treeless country sides, hills, and mountains. In the 1960’s, president Chung-Hee Park established a tree planting policy to reestablish long-ago lavish forested mountains and hillsides that make up more than 70% of the South Korean landscape. Today, mountains and hillsides are generally not used for agriculture and are completely forested, with planted groves and volunteer trees ranging in age from 10-50 years. These forested areas have led to increased protection for large and small mammals and birds, increasing the potential for zoonotic pathogens that there ectoparasites harbor to be transmitted to man during work and leisure activities. While forested areas provided an expanded habitat for some animals, agriculture expanded and modernized, resulting in short-cut grasses on banks separating much of the rice paddies, orchards, ditches, and dry-land farming that increased competition for small mammal habitat. As a result of increased surveillance of small and large animals and their ectoparasites, the increased prevalence of known pathogens and identification of new pathogens, especially those harbored by ticks, has demonstrated the presence of tick-borne encephalitis, several species of spotted fever group Rickettsia, and a host of other zoonotic diseases in wild animals, their ectoparasites, and man. As tick-borne diseases are not reportable diseases in Korea, the extent and impact on civilian and military populations is unknown as diagnoses are often likely sought for the wrong pathogen. While agriculture modernized, military training sites largely consist of unmanaged lands with tall grasses that are conducive to large and small mammal populations, which are host to a number of zoonotic diseases, e.g., hantaviruses, scrub typhus, murine typhus, leptospirosis, tick-borne encephalitis, spotted fever group rickettsial pathogens, Lyme disease, bartonellosis, etc. that impact on military populations training in those areas. The impact of training sites habitat modification has not been assessed, but for many sites is impractical. To reduce health risks of vectorborne diseases, the US Army has established better housing (tents to barracks with screened windows and air conditioning) at some field training sites, reducing the potential for the transmission of mosquito-borne pathogens (malaria and Japanese encephalitis virus). The increased use of permethrin-treated all climate uniforms (ACUs) and repellents, also reduce the potential for transmission of mosquito-, tick-, mite-, and flea-borne pathogens. However, training conditions at some field training sites remain largely unchanged, with personnel working and sleeping in tents that abut to forested areas where animals and their ectoparasites are present. While some training and maneuver sites are well planned for weapons qualifications of wheeled and tracked vehicles, others sites are in areas of unmanaged lands which are rodent infested. Increased surveillance by the 65th Medical Brigade not only provides a baseline and relative distribution for vector-borne diseases in Korea, but also provides disease trends and risk assessments that are necessary for protecting US military personnel training in Korea.

1998년 7월부터 10월까지 약 4개월간 질병매개모기 및 뇌염다발지역인 전라남도 영암군 덕진면 소재 약 30,000M2의 자연수답을 선정, 이에 서식하는 질병매개모기인 중국얼룩날개모기(Anopheles sinensis)와 작은빨간집모기(Culex tritaeniorhynchus)를 대상으로 포식천적어송사리(Aplocheilus latipes) 및 왜몰개(Aphyocypris chinensis)방사와 미생물제제(Bacillus thuringensis H-14)를 병합처리하여 방제효과를 조사하였다. 포식천적어송사리가 0.6fish/TEXM2/TEX가 존재하는 논에서는 7월부터 8월까지 55.0~57.6%의 자연 방제가 이루어졌으며, 한 표본당 평균 10마리 이상으로 증가될 때 미생물제제(B.t. H-14)를 1Kg/ha의 농도로 처리한 결과, 24시간후 100%의 방제를 보였으며, 10월 11일 본 실험이 끝날 때까지 98%의 방제율을 유지하였다. 천적어가 존재하지 않는 논에서는 수면 1TEXM2/TEX 당 1.5마리의 비율로 포식어(Aphyocypris)를 방사한 결과 9월 21일(방사후 2주)까지 88.2~96.7%의 만족할 만한 방제율을 유지하였다. 천적어가 존재하지 않는 또 다른 논에서 미생물제제(B.t. H-14)를 1Kg/ha의 농도로 단독 처리한 결과, 24시간 후 100%의 방제율을 보였으나, 7일 후에는 개체군밀도의 회복현상을 나타내었으며 B.t.(H-14) 2차 처리후 모기유충의 개체군밀도를 억제할 수 있었다.