Among children born in 2018, for example, 96.5 percent had been vaccinated against six major diseases, while among children born in 2013, 84.8 percent had eight vaccines against major diseases. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, July 27 (Korea Bizwire) –The vaccination rates among children for diseases like measles and polio in South Korea is higher than those of developed countries such as the U.S., U.K. and Australia with 97 percent of South Korean kids being vaccinated against these diseases in recent years, according to an analysis of related data, said the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) last Thursday.
According to a report titled “Nationwide Conditions for Protective Inoculation Rates in 2019″, which examined vaccination records for children born in 2013, along with those born between 2016 and 2018, 97.2 percent of South Korean children had six major vaccines, exceeding the rate in the U.S. (86.9 percent), the U.K. (93.1 percent) and Australia (94.3 percent).
In South Korea, the younger the age, the higher the vaccination rate, according to the data.
Among children born in 2018, for example, 96.5 percent had been vaccinated against six major diseases, while among children born in 2013, 84.8 percent had eight vaccines against major diseases.
Young infants – those less than 1-year old — showed the highest inoculation rates compared to other age groups, with vaccine rates against tuberculosis (BCG), hepatitis B (HepB), chickenpox (Var), measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) amounting to 97 or 98 percent.
By region, Seoul had the lowest vaccination rates in South Korea, while Sejong and Ulsan had the highest inoculation rates in the country.
Jerry M. Kim (jerry@koreabizwire.com)
