Should college students be vaccinated against meningococcal disease? A cost-benefit analysis.
Outbreaks and sporadic cases of meningococcal disease among college students have prompted consideration of a policy of routine vaccination for this group. Purchase and administration of the vaccine for routine vaccination would cost $56 million per year. Savings in medical care and indirect costs would not equal this amount unless the annual rate of disease among students is at least 6.5/100,000. The actual rate among students is unknown; however, surveillance data suggest it could not be more than 1.3/100,000. At rates near this estimate, the net cost of the program would be approximately $45 million annually. More cost-effective prevention strategies might be yielded by further studies to identify students at substantial risk of meningococcal disease, or by the development of a conjugate serogroup C vaccine that could be administered during infancy.
Jackson
L A
LA
National Center for Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Ga 30333, USA.
Schuchat
A
A
Gorsky
R D
RD
Wenger
J D
JD
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001428:Bacterial Vaccines / Q000191:economics; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D006801:Humans; D008589:Meningococcal Infections / Q000191:economics* / Q000517:prevention & control; D022401:Meningococcal Vaccines; D014495:Universities; D014611:Vaccination / Q000191:economics*
D001428:Bacterial Vaccines; D022401:Meningococcal Vaccines