- New website marks a milestone in making the Public Health Weekly Report (PHWR) an internationally recognized journal.
Osong, 30th December 2024 – The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) proudly announced the launch of its dedicated English-language website for the Public Health Weekly Report (PHWR). This new platform aims to provide international researchers with easier access to vital research findings, surveillance and survey updates, outbreak reports and policy insights produced by the KDCA. The English-language website is now available at https://eng.phwr.org as of December 23, alongside the existing Korean website at https://phwr.org.
First published in April 2008, the PHWR is a weekly journal by the KDCA that provides scientific evidence-based policies, health promotion initiatives, and the outcomes of investigations, surveillances, and research. Recent publications include:
l Nutrition Indicators Status of 5th Health Plan 2030
l Factors Associated with Functional Deterioration in Stroke Patients 3 Years after Onset: A KOSCO Study
l Recent Trends in the Circulation of Viruses Causing Acute Gastroenteritis in the Republic of Korea, 2019–2023
In addition, the PHWR delivers weekly data and statistics on major infectious diseases and broader disease issues, playing a pivotal role in disease management and public health protection. For example, during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the PHWR served as the only channel consolidating fragmented outbreak data and providing essential weekly updates. The report provides comprehensive disease data and information, including:
l Surveillance Statistics of Infectious Diseases: Data by region and district for all notifiable infectious diseases, including 19 Class 2 and 23 Class 3 infectious diseases. This also includes outbreak data for diseases under sentinel surveillance, such as influenza, waterborne and foodborne diseases, and surveillance data for pathogens and disease vectors.
l QuickStats: Summarize statistics related to non-communicable diseases such as obesity, smoking, hypertension, and diabetes.
With the growing interest in Korea's public health strategies—particularly its exemplary COVID-19 response—and the enhanced quality of the PHWR’s content, the KDCA launched a English-language website for the report, marking a significant step toward becoming a specialized international journal.
Initially, Korean and English were mixed together on a single website when the PHWR’s exclusive online platform was first introduced in September 2022. However, the increasing proportion of international users over time underscored the need for a dedicated English-language website.
l 2022: International users accounted for 23.4% of total visitors, with total journal views recording 10,084.
l 2023: International users increased to 42%, with total journal views rising to 180,349.
l 2024: International users reached 49.5%, and total journal views soared to 554,244.
The KDCA expects that the new website will enhance convenience and provide greater opportunities for researchers worldwide to utilize its publications.
Dr. Youngmee Jee, Commissioner of the KDCA said, "We are committed to continuously enhancing the PHWR, our flagship journal that delivers timely, scientific, evidence-based information on diseases and public health. By launching this English-language website, we aim to establish the PHWR as an internationally recognized journal, ensuring easy and convenient access to information for readers and researchers both in Korea and around the world."
* For detailed information, please refer to the press release written in the Korean language in the file attached below.