Department of Health Convergence, College of Science & Industry Convergence, Ewha Womans University, Seoul, Republic of Korea, Republic of Korea
Background: The 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPSV23) was introduced as part of Korea's national immunization program (NIP) in May 2013 for people aged 65 years and older.
Objectives: We aimed to describe the immunization status of Korean elderly aged 65 years and older who had received a first dose of PPSV23 via the NIP and to analyze the cumulative PPSV23 vaccination coverage rates.
Methods: We conducted a descriptive study using a Korea Immunization Registry Information System. The study included adults aged 65 years and older who had received at least one dose of PPSV23 between May 1, 2013, and December 31, 2020. Our analysis focused on only the first PPSV23 vaccination because the NIP offers free vaccination of PPSV23 once in a lifetime. We examined four elements as follows: 1) Characteristics of PPSV23 recipients stratified by sex, age at the time of first PPSV23 vaccination (65-69, 70-74, 75-79, 80+ years), year of first PPSV23 vaccination, and region of first PPSV23 vaccination institution; 2) Types of vaccines administrated concomitantly with the first PPSV23 on the same day; 3) Individuals of non-adherence to the minimum intervals between pneumococcal vaccines; 4) Cumulative PPSV23 vaccination coverage of adults aged 65 years and older. The denominator used the population by the resident registration report of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety.
Results: During the study period, 6,705,624 elderly people received a first dose of PPSV23 via the NIP, 52.0% (n=3,489,954) were in the age group of 65-69 years and 37.1% (n=2,488,053) received PPSV23 in 2013. A total of 198,236 individuals received PPSV23 along with other vaccines concomitantly on the same day. Among these elderly adults, 88.3% received influenza vaccine, 5.4% received Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome (HFRS) vaccine, and 2.6% received Herpes Zoster (HZV) vaccine. Out of the individuals who received PPSV23 between May 2013 and December 2015, 8,653 people (0.2%) received a booster dose of PPSV23 within 5 years. Furthermore, among those who received PPSV23 between May 2013 and December 2019, 13,631 individuals (0.2%) received a booster dose of PCV13 within a year. The cumulative coverage of PPSV23 in Koreans older than age 65 years continued to increase from 39.6% in 2013 to 78.5% in 2020.
Conclusions: Although the cumulative PPSV23 vaccination coverage rates for Korean elderly aged 65 years and older has been steadily increasing, instances of non-adherence to the minimum intervals between pneumococcal vaccines have been observed. Education and promotion programs are necessary to increase awareness. Furthermore, ongoing research on PPSV23 vaccination status for individuals aged 65 years and older and people at high risk for pneumococcal infection should be conducted.
.jpg "Jeong Ah Kim photo")
