Active Immunization

Oh, Sung Hee

Abstract

Immunization has been acknowledged to be the most effective way to prevent infectious diseases causing considerable morbidities and mortalities. With small pox that has been eradicated for more than three decades, more diseases are listed to be hopefully kept in the same track. In Korea, immunization schedule for healthy children has been established and intermittently revised to meet the need to maintain the best outcome of the vaccination program. In 2007, the recommendation for adult immunization has also been established in Korea to broaden the benefit of vaccination. Currently, vaccines that are recommended for healthy children in Korea include hepatitis B, BCG, diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio, influenza, measles, mumps, rubella, varicella, and Japanese encephalitis. The Korean Society of Pediatrics has been on the edge of determining for the 2008 revision whether type b haemophilus influenzae vaccine should be included in routine immunization. The paper has also covered the general information for vaccination; the classification of vaccines, immunology associated with vaccination, and strategy for successful immunization. Subscribers are further invited to the details of the vaccines of the greatest utilities and the most interests, and of the most recently developed vaccines described in the following sections of this issue.