[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] It has been confirmed that a 17-year-old male who received a free influenza (flu) vaccine in Incheon died two days after the vaccination.
Jung Eun-kyung, Commissioner of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), stated at a briefing on flu vaccine supply and vaccination status on the 19th, "There have been a total of 353 reported adverse reactions following flu vaccination this year, among which one death case has been reported and is currently under investigation."
The deceased adolescent received a free vaccination at a private medical institution at 12 PM on the 14th. There were no notable issues before or after the vaccination, but he died on the morning of the 16th, two days later.
According to the KDCA, the vaccine administered to the deceased adolescent was a nationally procured vaccine distributed by Sinseong Pharmaceutical, and the health authorities have determined that there were no issues in the distribution process.
Commissioner Jung said, "(The vaccine received by the deceased adolescent) was the first batch supplied for adolescents by the health authorities and was not a vaccine with white particles formed."
The causal relationship between the vaccination and the death has not yet been confirmed. Commissioner Jung stated, "As far as I know, there have been no confirmed cases of death causally linked to flu vaccination."
She added, "Severe adverse reactions caused by vaccines mostly occur immediately after vaccination as acute allergic reactions (anaphylaxis), or after some time following vaccination, clinical symptoms other than death occur," and said, "We plan to first determine the exact cause of death through an autopsy and then proceed with further investigation."
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