Cohort profile: Korean Varicella Immunization Monitoring (K-VIM) Scheme: a national cohort of children born 2011–2022

TL;DR

The K-VIM cohort tracks varicella vaccination outcomes in Korean children to assess vaccine effectiveness and public health impact.

Contribution

Establishes a national, insurance-based cohort to monitor varicella vaccine effectiveness in Korea.

Findings

Vaccinated children show distinct infection and severity patterns compared to unvaccinated children.

The cohort enables robust longitudinal tracking of varicella infections using national health data.

Future research will evaluate long-term vaccine effects, including impacts on herpes zoster.

Abstract

Varicella, caused by the varicella-zoster virus, was once nearly universal in childhood before the advent of vaccination and may lead to severe complications and even fatalities. Monitoring varicella vaccine effectiveness is crucial yet often overlooked in settings with limited surveillance infrastructure. The Korean Varicella Immunization Monitoring (K-VIM) Scheme was established to address this gap by assembling a national, insurance-based birth cohort of children born between 2011 and 2022 (n=4,505,165). This cohort leverages comprehensive healthcare databases in Korea to capture vaccination records, medical visits, and varicella infection outcomes for virtually all children within the target birth years. We describe the enrollment and key characteristics of the K-VIM cohort, including vaccination coverage, demographic features, and varicella incidence to date. The structure and completeness of Korea’s national health insurance and immunization registries enable robust longitudinal tracking of varicella infections among vaccinated versus unvaccinated children. Early findings demonstrate distinct patterns in infection rates and disease severity according to vaccination status. The K-VIM Scheme provides a foundation for ongoing epidemiological studies of varicella vaccine effectiveness and public health impact in Korea. Future plans include evaluating the long-term effects of varicella vaccination, including potential impacts on herpes zoster incidence, using diverse study designs to strengthen causal inference and inform immunization policy.