Abstract
Immunization is effective in preventing infectious diseases. Yearly, it prevents 3.5–5 million infectious-disease-related deaths. The Republic of Korea has implemented the national immunization program since 1954, continuously expanding the program to protect people’s health. Given its significant impact on public health and substantial financial cost, the expansion of the national immunization program should be based on objective and scientific evidence. Therefore, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) conducts prioritization assessments and promotes the expansion of the national immunization program based on these assessments. The rotavirus vaccine, evaluated as the first priority for introduction through the 2021 prioritization assessment, was introduced into the national immunization program in 2023. However, owing to changes in the situation, such as the development of new vaccines, it is necessary to set new priorities for introduction periodically. Therefore, the priorities for introduction in 2023 were reset. The KDCA prioritized the introduction of 15 detailed plans for seven infectious diseases, including influenza vaccine for people with chronic diseases, pneumococcal vaccine for people aged 65 years and older, human papillomavirus 9-valent vaccine switch, and live-shingles vaccine for people aged 70 years and older. Based on the results of this study, the KDCA will continue to expand the introduction of the national immunization program by comprehensively considering administrative feasibility, such as vaccine supply and budget availability.