National Flu Vaccination Starts from the 20th... Free for Seniors, Pregnant Women, and Children

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency announced on the 19th that the national influenza (flu) vaccination program will begin from the 20th and continue until April 30th of next year.

Flu vaccine. Photo of SK Bioscience's flu vaccine 'Skycellflu'

The target groups for the 2023-2024 flu season national vaccination are children aged 6 months to 13 years, pregnant women, and seniors aged 65 and older.

Starting from the 20th, children who require two doses (aged 6 months to under 9 years) will begin vaccination, followed by children who require one dose (aged 6 months to 13 years) and pregnant women from the 5th of next month, and seniors aged 75 and older will receive vaccinations sequentially by age starting from the 11th of the same month.

The national influenza vaccination is administered at designated local clinics or public health centers, and anyone can receive the vaccine free of charge anywhere nationwide by presenting an ID, regardless of their place of residence. There are approximately 20,000 designated medical institutions nationwide, which can be checked through the Vaccination Helper website.

This year, as influenza continues to spread, it is important for seniors aged 65 and older, pregnant women, and children?who are at higher risk of severe illness upon infection?to actively receive the vaccination. Among children eligible for the national vaccination program, those with egg anaphylaxis or severe egg allergy can receive the flu vaccine using a cell-cultured vaccine.

About 27.3 million doses of flu vaccine have been supplied domestically this year. Even those not eligible for the national vaccination program can receive the vaccine for a fee at primary medical institutions. This year’s flu vaccine is a quadrivalent vaccine that includes all strains recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO).

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