Peer-reviewed article
Lessons from Measles Elimination in the Republic of Korea: Public Health Implications.
Jong-Koo Lee ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001South Korea eliminated measles through a comprehensive national strategy launched after a major outbreak in 2000-2001. The approach included a 5-year plan with school-based mass vaccination campaigns, pre-entry vaccination verification, and strengthened surveillance, resulting in approximately 5.8 million children receiving two doses of measles vaccine. Measles was officially declared eliminated in 2006, and this status has been maintained through continued public health system strengthening and subsidized immunization services.
Key points
- A large nationwide measles outbreak in 2000-2001 was associated with low second-dose vaccination coverage and serological evidence that 13.5-15.5% of elementary school children lacked measles antibodies
- The government implemented a 5-Year National Measles Elimination Plan that included school-based mass vaccination campaigns reaching 5.8 million children
- South Korea was officially verified by WHO as having eliminated measles in 2006 and has maintained this status
- In 2014, the country introduced fully subsidized National Immunization Program services to sustain elimination
- The outbreak response transformed policy beyond immediate control to fundamentally strengthen the public health system
Limitations
This is a policy review and case study rather than an evaluation of the intervention's effectiveness compared to alternative approaches. The document does not provide comparative data on whether the specific components of South Korea's strategy (school campaigns, pre-entry verification, surveillance) had differential impacts on elimination.
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: To determine key policy implications, this study aims to examine the comprehensive national strategy implemented for measles elimination in 2001, the subsequent development of a public health system to sustain elimination, and its international verification. METHODS: The author conducted a review of government-issued measles outbreak control guidelines from 2000 to 2001, domestic and international academic literature and theses, and materials from the World Health Organization (WHO) immunization-related meetings, including firsthand observations from participation in these meetings. RESULTS: Following the Republic of Korea (ROK)'s introduction of a monovalent measles vaccine in 1965, the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine was incorporated into the National Immunization Program in 1983. In 1997, a second dose was added for children aged 4-6 years due to recurrent outbreaks; however, a large nationwide outbreak occurred in 2000-2001. Incidence was highest among infants aged 0-1 years and school-aged children, and was associated with by low second-dose coverage. Furthermore, serological surveys indicated that 13.5-15.5% of elementary school students were seronegative for measles antibodies, and viruses consistent with the H1 genotype were detected. In response to these findings, the government launched a 5-Year National Measles Elimination Plan, including school-based mass vaccination campaigns and pre-entry vaccination verification. This resulted in approximately 5.8 million children receiving two doses of measles-containing vaccine and strengthening surveillance. Consequently, measles was declared eliminated in 2006. In 2014, the ROK introduced fully subsidized National Immunization Program services, and the WHO Western Pacific Regional Verification Commission verified that the ROK had effectively eliminated measles. Since then, this elimination status has been maintained. CONCLUSIONS: The 2000-2001 measles epidemic in the ROK triggered a policy transformation that went beyond immediate outbreak control, fundamentally strengthening the public health system and positioning the country for greater engagement in global health collaboration.
Findings the Hub has extracted
Each claim below is labelled by its type of design and links back to this report.
- Intervention
- 5-Year National Measles Elimination Plan including school-based mass vaccination campaigns, pre-entry vaccination verification, and strengthened surveillance
- Population
- Children in South Korea, with approximately 5.8 million children receiving two doses of measles-containing vaccine; focus on school-aged children and infants
Key finding
Approximately 5.8 million children received two doses of measles-containing vaccine through the campaign