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ECONOMIC EVALUATION OF AN INFLUENZA IMMUNIZATION STRATEGY OF HEALTHY CHILDREN

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 November 2014

Meghann Gregg ,
Gordon Blackhouse ,
Mark Loeb  and
Ron Goeree
Meghann Gregg
Affiliation:
Health Economics Department, GlaxoSmithKline Vaccines, Wavre, Belgiummeglgregg@gmail.com
Gordon Blackhouse
Affiliation:
McMaster University, Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics; PATH Research Institute
Mark Loeb
Affiliation:
McMaster University, Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine
Ron Goeree
Affiliation:
McMaster University, Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics
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Abstract

Objectives: Vaccinating healthy children is proposed as a strategy to produce a herd effect and protect vulnerable groups. The Hutterite Influenza Prevention Study investigated this strategy, comparing communities with or without childhood influenza immunization programs. There are costs associated with vaccination therefore there may be a trade-off between these costs and the benefits of avoiding influenza cases. This evaluation estimates the cost-effectiveness of immunizing only healthy children in preventing cases of influenza within entire communities.

Methods: Effect data and resource utilization were collected during the trial. Cost data were collected from payer, literature and Internet sources. A two-stage bootstrap (TSB) with shrinkage correction was used to estimate average costs and effects. The incremental cost effectiveness ratio (ICER) and sample uncertainty around this estimate were calculated from the TSB results.

Results: Mean costs per patient for the treatment and control arms were $69.07 and $32.66 (difference $36.41). Mean number of influenza cases for the treatment and control arms were 0.04 and 0.27 (difference 0.23). ICER was $164.12 ($28.38, $2767.75) per case of influenza averted.

Conclusions: Immunizing healthy children for influenza is more costly, yet more effective than no immunization in preventing cases in the sample. At a cost of $164.12 to prevent a case of influenza, immunizing healthy children to protect all community members may be considered costeffective. Estimated results are conservative as the influenza season was mild and the sample population was healthy. In a more severe season with a less healthy population the ICER is expected to decrease.

Keywords

Human InfluenzaInfluenza VaccinesMedical EconomicsChildAdolescent
Type
Assessments
Information
International Journal of Technology Assessment in Health Care , Volume 30 , Issue 4 , October 2014 , pp. 394 - 399
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2014 

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