It is necessary to introduce national vaccinations for 6 academic societies, including the Korean Family Medical Association
Oct 01, 2025
On the 1st, the Korean Family Medicine Association, the Korean Geriatrics Association, the Korean Rheumatology Association, the Korean Kidney Association, the Korean Intestinal Research Association, and the Korean Pain Association issued a joint statement on the theme of 'Introduction of Shingles National Vaccination'.
In a joint statement, they agreed that shingles vaccination needs to be included in the National Immunization Program (NIP) to improve the health of the elderly and reduce the socio-economic burden in Korea, which has entered a super-aged society.
Shingles is a representative disease that puts a great burden on the elderly, underlying patients, and immunocompromised people, and can be expected to improve the quality of life of individuals through vaccination. Shingles occur when the chickenpox-shingles virus is latent in the ganglion and then reactivated when immunity decreases, and the incidence rate increases rapidly from the 50s, especially in high-risk groups vulnerable to various diseases, which can lead to poor quality of life as well as medical and economic losses. Although this disease is preventable, it has not been sufficiently addressed in the government's prevention policy.
Through this statement, six participating societies emphasized the socioeconomic benefits of shingles vaccination. According to the cost-benefit analysis of adult vaccination in Korea, the benefit of shingles vaccination for those over 50 years of age is 1.52 times the cost. In addition, there have already been cases in which public health values and financial feasibility have been proven by implementing national vaccination projects for the elderly in several countries, so academic societies explained that it can be used as a basis for expanding adult vaccination in Korea.
Kim Young-sang, director of the Korean Family Medical Association, said "Shingles is a preventable disease, but it is not sufficiently covered in the Korean government's prevention policy. Accordingly, under the consensus that the expansion of adult-centered national vaccination projects is essential for healthy aging in the super-aging era, the joint statement was promoted by gathering opinions with related academic societies" he said. "As the medical staff who treat patients closest to each other in the future, we will continue to provide academic and clinical cooperation so that the expansion of adult vaccination can contribute to the improvement of public health," he said.
In a joint statement, they agreed that shingles vaccination needs to be included in the National Immunization Program (NIP) to improve the health of the elderly and reduce the socio-economic burden in Korea, which has entered a super-aged society.
Shingles is a representative disease that puts a great burden on the elderly, underlying patients, and immunocompromised people, and can be expected to improve the quality of life of individuals through vaccination. Shingles occur when the chickenpox-shingles virus is latent in the ganglion and then reactivated when immunity decreases, and the incidence rate increases rapidly from the 50s, especially in high-risk groups vulnerable to various diseases, which can lead to poor quality of life as well as medical and economic losses. Although this disease is preventable, it has not been sufficiently addressed in the government's prevention policy.
Through this statement, six participating societies emphasized the socioeconomic benefits of shingles vaccination. According to the cost-benefit analysis of adult vaccination in Korea, the benefit of shingles vaccination for those over 50 years of age is 1.52 times the cost. In addition, there have already been cases in which public health values and financial feasibility have been proven by implementing national vaccination projects for the elderly in several countries, so academic societies explained that it can be used as a basis for expanding adult vaccination in Korea.
Kim Young-sang, director of the Korean Family Medical Association, said "Shingles is a preventable disease, but it is not sufficiently covered in the Korean government's prevention policy. Accordingly, under the consensus that the expansion of adult-centered national vaccination projects is essential for healthy aging in the super-aging era, the joint statement was promoted by gathering opinions with related academic societies" he said. "As the medical staff who treat patients closest to each other in the future, we will continue to provide academic and clinical cooperation so that the expansion of adult vaccination can contribute to the improvement of public health," he said.
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This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
