92.3% Completion Rate of Mandatory Vaccinations Before Entering Elementary School

76.4% Are Middle School Students... Important for Preventing the Spread of Infectious Diseases During School Age

It has been found that more than 90% of elementary school students in South Korea complete the required vaccinations before enrollment.

According to the results of the vaccination verification project for elementary and middle school entrants announced on the 10th by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) and the Ministry of Education, the completion rate of required vaccinations for elementary school entrants this year was 92.3%, and for middle school entrants, it was 76.4%. This represents an increase of 1.3 percentage points from last year's 91.0% for elementary students and 9.2 percentage points from 67.2% for middle school students.

Additionally, comparing the required vaccination rates of those subject to this year's verification project with the end of December last year, the rate for elementary school entrants increased by 28.5 percentage points (63.8% → 92.3%), and for middle school entrants, it increased by 40.1 percentage points (36.3% → 76.4%).

The KDCA and the Ministry of Education have been conducting a project since 2001 in cooperation with local governments and frontline schools to verify the completion of required vaccinations for newly enrolled elementary and middle school students and to encourage vaccination for those who have not completed it.

The required vaccinations for elementary school students include four types: DTaP (diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis), IPV (polio), MMR (measles, mumps, rubella), and Japanese encephalitis. Middle school students must receive Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis) and Japanese encephalitis vaccinations, and for girls, HPV (human papillomavirus) vaccination is additionally required.

The KDCA emphasized that maintaining a high vaccination rate is important to prevent the spread of infectious diseases during the elementary and middle school years and urged continuous attention. In particular, those born in 2011 can receive financial support for Tdap (Td), Japanese encephalitis, and HPV vaccinations for girls until December 31 of this year, so the KDCA advised not to forget to complete the vaccinations.