The Korean Influenza National Immunization Program: History and Present Status

Yun, Jae-Won; Noh, Ji Yun; Song, Joon Young; Chun, Chaemin; Kim, Yunju; Cheong, Hee Jin

Based on data obtained from the vaccination registration system, the number of recipients of the influenza vaccine has more than tripled in 20 years, from 3,200,000 people in the 1997-1998 season to 9,890,000 in the 2016-2017 season. This number includes all those who received the influenza vaccine free of charge, but not all those who paid for the vaccine, as registration in the system is not mandatory for those ineligible to receive free vaccination. Considering the number of people who paid for the vaccine but were not registered in the system, the increase rate could even be higher. The vaccination rate for adults aged ≥65 years is continuously increasing because of the expansion of services to private clinics. During the 2016-2017 season, 5,720,000 out of 6,940,000 eligible individuals (82.4%) were vaccinated. The vaccination for infants aged 6 months to <12 months was initiated in the 2016-2017 season, and among the 320,000 eligible infants, the vaccination rate reached 87.9% (280,000) during the first round and 87.6% (270,000) during the second round of vaccinations.