Immunization Policy in Korea

Immunization is the most effective and cost-beneficial means to prevent infectious diseases. So it has been regarded as one of the most important public health interventions in many countries and taken seriously in the aspect of national security related to smallpox and avian influenza. A variety of fields including production and distribution of vaccines, quality control of immunization, immunization registry, control of adverse events following immunization, and control of vaccine-preventable diseases should be considered for making and conducting the immunization policy. Korea has a long history of immunization since smallpox vaccination had been introduced in 1882, and many immunization strategies, including measles elimination program, have been carried out successfully. But there are still some problems to be solved for improving public health through immunization. KCDC (Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) is making every effort to analyze and solve the problems, especially in the area of evidence-based policy-making, improving immunization coverage by supporting cost for vaccination, promoting public trust in immunization, laying the foundation for vaccine production, and eliminating vaccine-preventable diseases through immunization.