Travelers planning overseas trips need to pay extra attention to malaria infection, as the major transmission season for the disease starts in June, the state-run Korea Centers for Disease Control said Thursday.

Seventy-eight percent of malaria cases in Korea last year occurred between June and September. The country had about 500 malaria reports, mostly from plasmodium vivax, the most frequent cause of recurring malaria.

KCDC officials recommended travelers to wear long shirts and pants outdoors and install mosquito nets in windows and entrances. People with common malaria symptoms such as fever should immediately contact medical experts at hospitals or clinics, they added.

(christory@heraldcorp.com)