[Preparedness and Responding for Infectious Disease for Mass Gathering of 「Winter Youth Olympic Games Gangwon 2024」].

The importance of a public health strategy for mass gatherings has been consistently emphasized internationally in the past. In the Republic of Korea, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) has established guidelines and standard operation procedures (SOPs) for preparations to address and respond to infectious disease outbreaks due to mass gathering events. The most recent example of the KDCA’s response in line with these guidelines and SOPs was that for the 「Winter Youth Olympic Games Gangwon 2024」 (Gangwon 2024), for which a proactive response and cooperation system, quarantine measures, and an infectious disease surveillance system were implemented. During Gangwon 2024, 14 cases of infectious diseases were confirmed: 3 cases of norovirus infection (1 outbreak case), 1 case of chickenpox, 4 cases of coronavirus disease 2019, and 6 cases of influenza. There were no severe infectious disease outbreaks. We expect to provide a reference for responding to infectious disease outbreaks due to future mass gathering events by evaluating the experience of infectious disease prevention activities at Gangwon 2024.