Temporary Suspension of Free Flu Vaccinations... "Resuming After Quality Verification"

Influenza Vaccination Notice Posted at a Hospital in Seoul

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Dae-yeol] The free influenza (flu) vaccination program, which was scheduled to start on the 22nd, has been suspended due to issues discovered during the vaccine distribution process.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) released a statement late last night, saying, "Problems were found during the distribution process by the contracted supplier," and announced the temporary suspension of the national influenza vaccination program. It was reported that some vaccines were exposed to room temperature during transportation. Vaccines must be transported under refrigerated conditions.

This program provides free flu vaccinations to infants, children, adolescents, and the elderly. It began on the 8th for those aged 6 months and older who require two or more doses. Starting from the 22nd, vaccinations were planned for those requiring only one dose.

The problematic vaccines were part of the batch intended for children aged 13 to 18, with issues found in some products. However, to ensure thorough quality verification, the KDCA decided to temporarily suspend vaccinations for all eligible recipients. Vaccines already supplied will be distributed sequentially once their quality is confirmed. The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety will conduct tests on the problematic vaccines based on the KDCA's inspection requests, focusing on items that may affect quality.

Jung Eun-kyung, head of the KDCA, stated, "Vaccinations for pregnant women, children under 18, and those requiring two doses, all scheduled to start on the 22nd, have been suspended." She added, "So far, no adverse reactions have been reported among vaccine recipients, but we will strengthen monitoring of adverse reactions more rigorously."

According to the KDCA, there are no issues with the vaccines supplied earlier to those requiring two doses. This year’s free flu vaccination targets include children aged 6 months to 18 years, pregnant women, and seniors aged 62 and older, covering about 37% of the population (19 million people). This year, the vaccine has been changed to a quadrivalent type, and the free vaccination target has expanded by more than 5 million people compared to last year, including 2.85 million middle and high school students and 2.2 million seniors aged 62 and above.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.