title: An economic evaluation of the introduction of vaccination against hepatitis A in a peacekeeping operation. The case of the United Nations Protection Force in Yugoslavia.
abstract: The costs and benefits of vaccinating troops on United Nations tours in Yugoslavia against hepatitis A were compared. The marginal cost of one case of hepatitis A avoided by vaccination was calculated and compared with the marginal cost of achieving the same outcome by passive immunization. The cost-benefit ratio (medium estimate) for troops at low risk of contracting hepatitis A was 0.01 and for those at high risk was 0.03. Vaccinating troops against hepatitis A for a single deployment appears to be an inefficient procedure, especially in troops at low risk. However, in professional troops from countries of low hepatitis A endemicity who are likely to be involved in several operational deployments, vaccination becomes more efficient the more times the same troops are deployed.
authors.affiliation: British Army of the Rhine.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Jefferson
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Demicheli
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wright
mesh_terms: D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D006506:Hepatitis A / Q000191:economics / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006801:Humans; D008889:Military Personnel; D014480:United Nations; D014611:Vaccination / Q000191:economics; D015022:Yugoslavia