By Lee Hyo-sik
The Ministry of National Defense said Monday it is considering inoculating all military recruits against meningitis as early as next year.
Its move follows a series of deaths from the disease at military camps — most prominently a 23-year-old conscript died of the illness in April due to inadequate medical care at an Army training center.
A newly-developed meningitis vaccine is currently under review by the Korea Food and Drug Administration and will likely get approval next year, according to the ministry.
“Once the vaccine is approved, we will seriously consider inoculating all newly-drafted soldiers. We think vaccination is the best way to prevent soldiers from contracting the fatal disease,” said Kim Hyung-ki, an official from the ministry, at a news briefing.
The official admitted the Korean Army Training Center in Nonsan, South Chungcheong Province, and other camps across the country have largely failed to properly care for recruits.
Four out of eight soldiers who were infected with the disease died over the last five years. The ministry will soon conduct a joint epidemiologic survey into training centers in cooperation with the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, he said.
“We also decided to launch a separate investigation to check on the sanitary conditions of all military training camps. Emergency funds will be set aside to improve living conditions for recruits. We will consider allowing more seriously-ill trainees to be treated at civilian medical facilities,” the official said.
The ministry expects the vaccination plan to cost about 14 billion won ($13 million) annually.
On April 24, an Army draftee, identified only by his surname Noh, died from meningitis which caused blood poisoning and acute respiratory distress at the Korean Army Training Center, following a 20-kilometer march the night before. Shortly after the march, he began running a fever and was moved to a medical room for treatment.
He was given two Tylenol by a medic on duty as the army doctor was not working at the time. But his condition continued to deteriorate and was then taken to a civilian hospital where he was pronounced dead several hours later.
Noh’s bereaved family blames the Army for Noh’s death, arguing that he would still be alive if the army training center had accurately diagnosed his condition and treated him with proper medical attention.
leehs@koreatimes.co.kr
Following the incident, the defense ministry has increased the number of army doctors at the Korean Army Training Center by four in a bid to provide better medical care for draftees.
Three more Army doctors will be assigned to the nation’s largest drill camp by the end of the year.