KCDC Releases 2017 National Youth Immunization Coverage Status [July.24.(Tue).2018]

Contact: Choi Yeon-hwa, Division of the National Immunization Program (043-719-6853, cyh6803@korea.kr)

□The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has released youth immunization coverage data from 2017, showing a 96.6% coverage rate in infants born in 2016 (12 months old), 94.1% in toddlers born in 2015 (24 months old), and 90.4% in those born in 2014 (36 months old).
○ The data show a 0.4 to 1.4%p increase in immunization rates per age group compared to the previous year. Similar to last year, lower coverage rates among older age groups were due to the increasing number of required vaccinations with age.

□ South Korea’s youth immunization coverage is 2~9%p higher than that of other developed countries*, including the United States of America, Australia, and the United Kingdom.
* Immunization rates per vaccine (average of five vaccines): ROK 96.9%, USA 87.8%, AUS 95.1%, UK 94.0%

□ The report used the immunization history data of 1,290,000 infants and toddlers born throughout the country from 2014 to 2016 as recorded in the national immunization management system as of June 30th, 2018. Similar reports have been released annually since 2015.

□ KCDC provides free vaccinations for children 12 years and younger, and facilities that offer these vaccines can be found on the National Immunization Program website or by using the NIP smartphone application.

□ Gong In-sik, KCDC Director of the Division of the National Immunization Program, stated that, due to the high youth vaccination rate, there is a strong herd immunity within the Korean community against infectious diseases.