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

The primary objectives of influenza NIP are to minimize the disease burden of influenza by providing priority vaccination to high-risk groups and to build a system capable of responding to influenza pandemic. The NIP's management structure is comprised of the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC); provincial and city public safety units; and city, district, and county public health units. The following are the responsibilities of public health units: determining vaccine demands/requirements, conducting vaccination programs, and recording and reporting individuals' vaccination statuses and any adverse events (AEs). The provincial and city public safety units oversee the achievements of public health units concerning the vaccination and act as a bridge in conducting epidemiological investigations of AEs and reporting the results to the KCDC. The role of the KCDC is to manage the vaccine supply and registration, to review epidemiological investigations of vaccine-related AEs, and to manage compensations [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] .