The prolonged coronavirus pandemic has kept people from visiting hospitals for fear of infection. The consequent fall in immunization rate could lead to the spread of other infectious diseases, according to health officials.
If Covid-19 and influenza are mixed and spread after autumn, it will cause chaos as distinguishing the two by symptoms will be difficult, they pointed out.
The nation has to secure sufficient vaccines, mainly for high-risk groups of elders and infants.
According to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s national immunization data between January and April, the number of people older than 65 who received a pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine dropped from 25.3 to 7.3 percent compared to the same period of 2019. The rate of 10 essential vaccinations for infants also fell by 3.5 percent over the period.
Health experts are worried that the decline in the immunization rate will lead to the absence of herd immunity to prevent epidemics. Herd immunity is a phenomenon in which people with weaker immunity could benefit from indirect preventive effects against infectious diseases if more people become immune to a specific disease.
To form herd immunity, more than a certain portion of people have to be infected by a disease, recover and gain immunity, or receive the vaccine.
Pneumococcus and pertussis are two common diseases that require herd immunity. Both viruses spread through droplets from the mouth.
Elderly populations should get the pneumococcal vaccine because the virus can cause fatal diseases such as pneumonia, otitis media, and meningitis.
In the case of pertussis, the symptoms are mild in adults. Infants have to be vaccinated as it can cause severe complications, including bronchial pneumonia and encephalopathy, and lead to death.
“The immunization service has to continue as the nation may have to cope with other epidemics besides Covid-19 toward the end of this year if the vaccination is delayed or discontinued,” KCDC Director Jeong Eun-kyeong said during a recent news conference.