인수공통감염병 예방 및 관리의 법적 문제

Abstract

In the prevention and management of zoonoses, the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the Ministry of Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Livestock, and the Ministry of Environment have enacted and operate laws on infectious diseases. The problem, however, is that there is no mechanism to oversee and coordinate the work of these ministries on zoonoses. Therefore, it is difficult to establish a rapid response system due to the lack of practical cooperation between the ministries when the new infectious diseases are common in Korea. It is believed that the revised anti-infectious disease legislation since the MERS incident in 2015 reflected considerable problems at the time. However, it still has limitations for the prevention and management of infectious diseases that are fundamentally and frequently encounterable. In order to prevent and manage zoonoses, the precautionary principle should be applied to establish a thorough preparation and response system. The current law stipulates that only the relevant departments are notified when a common infectious disease that is legally designated as a livestock or wildlife occurs, and there is no part to establish a cooperative system between the ministries. In addition, information on human diseases and animal diseases that occur outside the country should be shared, and the inflow of zoonoses overseas should be blocked through strict quarantine. Furthermore, through information exchange and cooperation with the World Health Organization, the occurrence of common infectious diseases should be identified, prevented and managed globally. Finally, in order to solve the problem, each ministry should establish an organization that can oversee it and establish a regular and efficient response system. Above all, a department should be established to oversee all relevant departments, be under the direct prime minister, and develop zoonoses management and information sharing systems.