For the past five years, the number one infectious disease in the military has been chickenpox... Not included in vaccination target

47.9% of 1,058 patients… Min Hong-cheol said, “We need to reexamine infectious disease prevention and management.”

(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Choi Joo-seong = It was found that chickenpox is the infectious disease that has caused the most patients in the military over the past five years.

According to data submitted by the office of Min Hong-cheol of the Democratic Party of Korea on the National Defense Committee of the National Assembly from the Ministry of National Defense and the Armed Forces Medical Command on the 12th, the number of patients with infectious diseases and sexually transmitted diseases excluding COVID-19 from 2022 to June of this year was a total of 1,058, of which 507 were chickenpox patients, or 47.9%.

This was followed by malaria (319 people) (30.2%), syphilis (58 people (5.5%)), pertussis (44 people (4.2%)), tuberculosis (40 people (3.8%)), and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) (31 people) (2.9%).

In the case of chickenpox, it was found that at least one group infection (five or more people in the same battalion showing symptoms) occurred every year from 2023 to this year.

The number of patients per year also increased from 63 in 2022 to 158 in 2023, and then remained around 100 each year, including 141 in 2024 and 92 in 2025. By military type, 82.4% of patients occurred in the Army, which has a large troop size.

Despite these statistics, the Armed Forces Medical Command does not include chickenpox in the mass vaccination for all enlisted soldiers. The Armed Forces Medical Command told the lawmaker's office, "At the time of discussions in 2019, we did not introduce chickenpox vaccination considering the transmissibility and safety of the vaccine."

In response, Rep. Min said, "From the perspective that the state will take full responsibility for the health of soldiers performing military service, we must reexamine the overall prevention and management of military infectious diseases, and systematically supplement the necessary areas."