Health benefits, risks, and cost-effectiveness of influenza vaccination of children.
We estimated cost-effectiveness of annually vaccinating children not at high risk with inactivated influenza vaccine (IIV) to range from US $12,000 per quality-adjusted life year (QALY) saved for children ages 6-23 months to $119,000 per QALY saved for children ages 12-17 years. For children at high risk (preexisting medical conditions) ages 6-35 months, vaccination with IIV was cost saving. For children at high risk ages 3-17 years, vaccination cost $1,000-$10,000 per QALY. Among children notat high risk ages 5-17 years, live, attenuated influenza vaccine had a similar cost-effectiveness as IIV. Risk status was more important than age in determining the economic effects of annual vaccination, and vaccination was less cost-effective as the child's age increased. Thus, routine vaccination of all children is likely less cost-effective than vaccination of all children ages 6-23 months plus all other children at high risk.
Prosser
Lisa A
LA
Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, USA lprosser@hms.harvard.edu
Bridges
Carolyn Buxton
CB
Uyeki
Timothy M
TM
Hinrichsen
Virginia L
VL
Meltzer
Martin I
MI
Molinari
Noelle-Angelique M
NA
Schwartz
Benjamin
B
Thompson
William W
WW
Fukuda
Keiji
K
Lieu
Tracy A
TA
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007252:Influenza Vaccines / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000191:economics*; D032541:Mass Vaccination / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000191:economics*; D011788:Quality of Life; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D015164:Vaccines, Inactivated / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000191:economics
D007252:Influenza Vaccines; D015164:Vaccines, Inactivated