[2027 Budget Proposal] KDCA's Budget Set at 1.4 Trillion Won for Next Year... Expanding Immunization Coverage and Preparing for Pandemics

7.4% Budget Increase... HPV 9-Valent and Pneumococcal PCV Transition
Expanded Influenza Vaccination... Increased Support for Rare Diseases
Investing in Next-Generation Pandemic Response Technologies Using AI and mRNA

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) will strengthen its capacity for infectious disease prevention and next pandemic preparedness next year. The agency plans to expand the scope of the National Immunization Program, advance HPV and pneumococcal vaccines, and ramp up investments in infectious disease response technologies utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) and messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA).

On September 1, the KDCA announced that it has allocated 1.4347 trillion won in its proposed 2027 government budget. This represents an increase of 98.8 billion won (7.4%) compared to this year’s budget of 1.3359 trillion won.

Strengthening the Routine Infectious Disease Prevention and Management System

The National Immunization Program will enhance public coverage by adjusting the eligible population, expanding influenza vaccination targets, and transitioning to next-generation vaccines. In line with the trend toward increasing births and population aging, the program will ensure the smooth administration of vaccines for infants and the elderly.

The age group eligible for influenza vaccination will be expanded from those 14 and younger to include those 15 and younger. To prevent HPV-related diseases such as cervical and anal cancers, the government-supplied vaccine will be transitioned to the 9-valent HPV vaccine. The eligible age range for HPV vaccination of adolescent males will be broadened from age 12 to 13. To better prevent pneumococcal infections and severe cases among the elderly, the government-funded pneumococcal vaccine for seniors will transition to the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV).

The agency will expand the program targeting the reduction of Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) infections, designate and operate new specialized hospitals for multidrug-resistant bacteria, and strengthen surveillance and management of healthcare-associated infections. New initiatives to raise public awareness will also be launched to achieve a tangible reduction in antibiotic usage.

Advancing the Crisis Management System for Emerging Infectious Diseases

The scope of acute respiratory infection surveillance will be expanded to include long-term care hospitals. Follow-up research will be conducted to maintain and renew product licenses, ensuring a steady stockpile and effective deployment of the domestically developed anthrax vaccine, created with world-leading recombinant gene technology.

To enable rapid and large-scale testing in each region during new or variant infectious disease crises, more "excellent infectious disease pathogen verification institutions" will be designated. The budget will also newly reflect funding for the establishment of a private sector infectious disease diagnostic and laboratory testing management system.

Support will be provided to ensure the successful opening of Korea's first specialized infectious disease hospital in the Honam region (Chosun University Hospital). Separate funds will be allocated to establish an integrated national infectious disease hospital bed system, capable of rapid operation in a pandemic scenario. The budget also includes allocations for purchasing personal protective equipment and antiviral agents for medical staff.

To swiftly respond to changes in disease vector occurrence caused by climate change, real-time AI-based surveillance of vectors will be expanded. In addition, a new center for intensive monitoring of imported vectors (provisional name) will be established to identify infection threats from vectors at an early stage.

Enhancing the Management of Chronic Diseases, Rare Diseases, and Health Hazards

To comprehensively prevent and manage major chronic diseases, the agency will restructure and expand hypertension and diabetes registration and education centers into integrated chronic disease management centers and broaden the roster of participating local governments. Atopic dermatitis and asthma information and education centers will also be expanded.

To improve access to medical care for rare disease patients, a year-round, always-available support system will be established, and additional regional rare disease specialty institutions will be designated to ensure seamless, regionally integrated clinical support. From next year, income and asset criteria for the households of legal obligors will be gradually eliminated in the selection of recipients for rare disease medical expense aid. Efforts to expand data collection and analysis on rare diseases will also continue, with more registration agencies and advancements to the registration system being pursued.

To cope with abnormal climate conditions such as heatwaves, the agency will fund the operation of monitoring projects for heat- and cold-related illnesses in emergency rooms and further advance real-time monitoring systems, including predictive models for the occurrence of heat-related illnesses.

Promoting AI Transformation and Advancing Healthcare Research Capabilities

The KDCA will establish an informatization strategy plan (ISP) for building the “Disease Data ON” platform, integrating key agency data for AI transformation (AX) and more sophisticated policy-making.

To ensure rapid vaccine development during a pandemic, the agency will increase investments in mRNA vaccine platforms and launch the Korean Pandemic Preparedness Engine (K-AI PPX). A new budget has also been allocated for the development of domestically produced mRNA antibody therapeutics enabling ultra-fast responses.

Additional new budget items include investments in establishing a large-scale Korean AI training dataset and application system, as well as the purchase of advanced research equipment to support clinical study analysis technology enhancements. These investments are all aimed at strengthening the foundation for healthcare and medical research.

Im Sung-kwan, Commissioner of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, stated, “We have prioritized bolstering the agency’s core functions in our budget allocation. We will continue to ensure that the major project budgets are reflected consistently, so that we can thoroughly protect the lives and safety of the public against not only the next pandemic threat but also various health hazards encountered in daily life.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.