Lee Jae-gap "Continuing Vaccinations, a Natural Decision... Not a Flu-Related Situation"

On the 26th, when the government resumed free influenza vaccinations for seniors aged 62 to 69, citizens lined up in front of a hospital in Seoul to receive their flu shots. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Yeon-ju] Professor Lee Jae-gap of Hallym University Department of Infectious Diseases diagnosed on the 26th that the health authorities' decision to continue influenza vaccination was "something that should have been done naturally. It is not a situation related to the flu."

In an interview with MBC Radio's 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus' on the 26th, Professor Lee said, "These are people who died due to various underlying diseases unrelated to the flu, but recently there has been increased attention on the exposure of flu vaccines to room temperature, which seems to have led to many reported cases."

According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) Vaccination Expert Committee on the 23rd, after reviewing 26 death cases reported until the 22nd, it was concluded that there was very low direct causality between death and vaccination, and it recommended continuing the vaccination program.

Regarding this, Professor Lee explained, "Basically, these are situations that occur every year, and the deaths have not increased due to the flu vaccine. The flu vaccine has proven to be much safer than other vaccines, and more than 10 million people in our country alone have been receiving it annually for over 10 years."

He added, "A very cautious approach is necessary regarding the safety issues of the flu vaccine. Until it is conclusively determined that the cause is the flu vaccine, definitive statements about deaths caused by the flu vaccine must be absolutely avoided."

He continued, "Basically, the flu vaccine is administered to high-risk groups to prevent the flu. Therefore, people with many underlying diseases or elderly individuals are actually the ones who need to get vaccinated more."

In response to criticism that deciding to proceed with vaccination without completing autopsies on the deceased was premature, he rebutted, "Although the final results are not out yet, medical records and autopsy reports have already confirmed that there is no direct link to the flu. Also, the number of deaths caused by the flu vaccine has not significantly increased compared to the same period last year."

Meanwhile, on the 24th, the KDCA held a briefing related to the flu vaccine at the KDCA in Osong, Chungbuk, and announced that as of 1 p.m. that day, there were 48 cases of death after receiving the flu vaccine. Among the 48 deceased, 45 were already deceased at the time of reporting, and 3 were investigated to have died after showing severe adverse reactions at the time of reporting.

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