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January 22, 2003

INTERNATIONAL IMMUNIZATION NEWS

"Cases of Contagious Diseases Plunge"

Korea Times (www.hk.co.kr/times.htm) (01/18/03)

In 2002, 6,593 people in South Korea contracted a contagious disease, which is an 80 percent decrease over 2001, when 32,188 people were affected, according to statistics provided by the country's National Institute of Health (NIH).  The agency attributed the decline to increased vaccinations, particularly as measles vaccinations helped to reduce the number of cases from 23,060 in 2001 to just 40 in 2002.  In addition, the NIH said, the number of malaria cases dropped 30 percent last year from 2001, while the number of typhoid fever cases fell 46 percent and rubella cases decreased 81 percent.

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