South Korea has issued a nationwide alert for Japanese encephalitis virus, advising the public to pay attention to personal hygiene and get vaccinated if necessary.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency(KDCA) issued the alert notice on Friday, saying that more than half of the mosquitoes collected in the provinces of South Gyeongsang and South Jeolla are confirmed to be the mosquito species that transmit the disease. 

Japanese encephalitis is contracted through the bite of the culex tritaeniorhynchus species, which is small and dark brown with no distinctive patterns on its body. 

People infected with the disease most often suffer from mild fever or show no apparent symptoms, but some infections result in high fever, vomiting and seizures. About 20 percent to 30 percent of people who develop acute encephalitis die from the disease.