title: Is a Mass Immunization Program for Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 Good Value for Money? Early Evidence from the Canadian Experience.
abstract: This work contributes informed estimates to the current debate about the pandemic (H1N1) 2009 mass immunization program's economic merits. We performed a cost-utility analysis of the (H1N1) 2009 mass immunization program in Ontario, Canada's most populous province. The analysis is based on a simulation model of a pandemic (H1N1) 2009 outbreak, surveillance data, and administrative data. We consider no immunization versus mass immunization reaching 30% of the population. Immunization program costs are expected to be $118 million in Ontario. Our analysis indicates this program will reduce influenza cases by 50%, preventing 35 deaths, and cutting treatment costs in half. A pandemic (H1N1) 2009 immunization program is likely to be highly cost-effective.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada; University of Guelph; Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto; Sunnybrook Hospital, The University of Toronto; Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto; Toronto Health Economics and Technology Assessment Collaborative(THETA) and University of Toronto.
authors.forename: Beate
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Sander
authors.forename: Chris
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bauch
authors.forename: David N
authors.initials: DN
authors.lastname: Fisman
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Fowler
authors.forename: Jeffrey C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Kwong
authors.forename: Allison
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: McGeer
authors.forename: Marija
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zivkovic Gojovic
authors.forename: Murray
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Krahn