KSPM
Search
- Page Path
- HOME > Search
Perspective
- When Deepfakes Meet Herd Immunity: Artificial Intelligence, Vaccine Avoidance, and the Next Infodemic Threat
- Minsoo Jung
- J Prev Med Public Health. 2026;59(5):555-559. Published online August 27, 2026
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.3961/jpmph.26.549
- 654 View
- 12 Download
-
Abstract
PDF - Vaccination remains among the most effective public health interventions, but its impact increasingly depends on public trust and a reliable information environment. During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, misinformation became a major obstacle to vaccine uptake and disease control. The rapid development of generative artificial intelligence (AI)—including synthetic text generators, conversational chatbots, deepfake images, synthetic audio, and AI-generated videos—has changed how misinformation can be produced, personalized, and disseminated. This Perspective argues that AI-generated misinformation may represent a new stage in the evolution of the infodemic. Compared with earlier forms of vaccine misinformation, AI-generated content can be produced automatically, tailored to individual audiences, made visually persuasive, and distributed at unprecedented speed and scale. Drawing on historical vaccine controversies, health communication research, and epidemiological principles of herd immunity, we propose that AI-driven misinformation should be examined not only as a communication problem but also as a potential epidemiological risk factor that may weaken population immunity. The implications extend beyond vaccine hesitancy to the preparedness and resilience of public health systems during future pandemics. We discuss how anti-vaccination movements may change in the AI era and propose responses centered on trust-building, digital health literacy, information surveillance, and community engagement to support vaccine confidence and pandemic preparedness.
-
SummaryOriginal Article
- Factors Influencing Vaccination in Korea: Findings From Focus Group Interviews
- Bomi Park, Eun Jeong Choi, Bohyun Park, Hyejin Han, Su Jin Cho, Hee Jung Choi, Seonhwa Lee, Hyesook Park
- J Prev Med Public Health. 2018;51(4):173-180. Published online May 25, 2018
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.3961/jpmph.18.063
- 15,567 View
- 273 Download
- 15 Crossref
-
Abstract
PDF
- Objectives
Immunization is considered one of the most successful and cost-effective public health interventions protecting communities from preventable infectious diseases. The Korean government set up a dedicated workforce for national immunization in 2003, and since then has made strides in improving vaccination coverage across the nation. However, some groups remain relatively vulnerable and require intervention, and it is necessary to address unmet needs to prevent outbreaks of communicable diseases. This study was conducted to characterize persistent challenges to vaccination.
Methods
The study adopted a qualitative method in accordance with the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research checklist. Three focus group interviews were conducted with 15 professionals in charge of vaccination-related duties. The interviews were conducted according to a semi-structured guideline, and thematic analysis was carried out. Data saturation was confirmed when the researchers agreed that no more new codes could be found.
Results
A total of 4 main topics and 11 subtopics were introduced regarding barriers to vaccination. The main topics were vaccine hesitancy, personal circumstances, lack of information, and misclassification. Among them, vaccine hesitancy was confirmed to be the most significant factor impeding vaccination. It was also found that the factors hindering vaccination had changed over time and disproportionately affected certain groups.
Conclusions
The study identified ongoing unmet needs and barriers to vaccination despite the accomplishments of the National Immunization Program. The results have implications for establishing tailored interventions that target context- and group-specific barriers to improve timely and complete vaccination coverage. -
Summary
Citations
Citations to this article as recorded by
- Twenty Years of Progress and the Way Forward: Immunization Registry Information System in Korea
Junghee Kim, Minju Song, Seohyeon Ahn, Seunghyun Lewis Kwon
Journal of Korean Medical Science.2024;[Epub] CrossRef - Parental intention to vaccinate daughters with the human papillomavirus vaccine in Korea: a nationwide cross-sectional survey
Yejin Ha, Kyeongmin Lee, Bomi Park, Mina Suh, Jae Kwan Jun, Kui Son Choi
Epidemiology and Health.2023; 45: e2023076. CrossRef - Letter to the Editor: Effectiveness of the Varicella Vaccine Among Korean Children: Suggestions for Future Research
BongKyoo Choi, Hyunjeong Cho, Younchul Shin, Eun-Kyoung Lee
Journal of Korean Medical Science.2022;[Epub] CrossRef - Vaccine hesitancy and emerging parental norms: A qualitative study in Taiwan
Chen‐I Kuan
Sociology of Health & Illness.2022; 44(3): 692. CrossRef - Physical and mental health characteristics related to trust in and intention to receive COVID-19 vaccination: results from a Korean community-based longitudinal study
Ye Jin Jeon, Youngrong Lee, Ji Su Yang, Young Su Park, Sun Jae Jung
Epidemiology and Health.2022; 44: e2022064. CrossRef - Vaccine Hesitancy and Concerns About Vaccine Safety and Effectiveness in Shanghai, China
Abram L. Wagner, Zhuoying Huang, Jia Ren, Megan Laffoon, Mengdi Ji, Leah C. Pinckney, Xiaodong Sun, Lisa A. Prosser, Matthew L. Boulton, Brian J. Zikmund-Fisher
American Journal of Preventive Medicine.2021; 60(1): S77. CrossRef - Paradoxical health care utilization patterns among children in Korea who did not receive mandatory pneumococcal vaccination
Sangho Sohn, Kwan Hong, Hari Hwang, Byung Chul Chun
Vaccine.2021; 39(7): 1096. CrossRef - Differential Demographic and Clinical Characteristics between MMR Vaccinated and Unvaccinated Children in South Korea: A Nationwide Study
Dongwon Yoon, Juhwan Kim, Juyoung Shin
Vaccines.2021; 9(6): 653. CrossRef - Understanding parents’ views toward the newly enacted HPV vaccine school entry policy in Puerto Rico: a qualitative study
Vivian Colón-López, Diana T. Medina-Laabes, Roxana Soto Abreu, Olga L. Díaz Miranda, Ana P. Ortiz, María E. Fernández, Pamela C. Hull
BMC Public Health.2021;[Epub] CrossRef - The need for pertussis vaccination among older adults and high-risk groups: a perspective from advanced economies of the Asia Pacific region
Leong Hoe Nam, Cheng-Hsun Chiu, Jung Yeon Heo, Margaret Ip, Ki-Suck Jung, Robert Menzies, Rodney Pearce, Philippe Buchy, Jing Chen, Michael Nissen, Kyu-Bin Oh
Expert Review of Vaccines.2021; 20(12): 1603. CrossRef - Comparison of the Seroprevalence of Measles Antibodies among Healthcare Workers in Two Korean Hospitals in 2019
Yee Gyung Kwak, Je Eun Song, Gang-Bok Oh, In Hye Jeong, Chong Rae Cho, Namhee Kim, Hyeon Mi Yoo, Gyeong Min Yoo, Myung Jin Lee, Baek-Nam Kim
Infection & Chemotherapy.2020; 52(1): 93. CrossRef - Unvaccinated children as community parasites in National Qualitative Study from Turkey
Sıddıka Songül Yalçin, Ayça Gelgeç Bakacak, Osman Topaç
BMC Public Health.2020;[Epub] CrossRef - Mapping global trends in vaccine confidence and investigating barriers to vaccine uptake: a large-scale retrospective temporal modelling study
Alexandre de Figueiredo, Clarissa Simas, Emilie Karafillakis, Pauline Paterson, Heidi J Larson
The Lancet.2020; 396(10255): 898. CrossRef - Sustained Vaccination Coverage during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Epidemic in the Republic of Korea
Jeong Hee Yu, Hang jin Jeong, Seon Ju Kim, Jae Young Lee, Young June Choe, Eun Hwa Choi, En Hi Cho
Vaccines.2020; 9(1): 2. CrossRef - Why do some Korean parents hesitate to vaccinate their children?
Kyujin Chang, Soon Young Lee
Epidemiology and Health.2019; 41: e2019031. CrossRef
First
Prev
