Adolescent Meningococcal Vaccination Expensive but Worthwhile

[Guest guest]

AND YET ANOTHER.....................worthwhile for whom? Stockholders?

Sheri

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/568828

Adolescent Meningococcal Vaccination Expensive but Worthwhile

By

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) Jan 15 - A meningococcal vaccination strategy

involving a catch-up campaign followed by routine annual vaccination for

11- to 17-year-olds with the newly-licensed quadrivalent conjugate vaccine

would require considerable expenditure, but would have a substantial impact

on meningococcal disease burden, Georgia-based researchers report in the

January issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases.

" Although costly, " senior investigator Dr. Ismael R. Ortega- told

Reuters Health, " the new meningococcal vaccine may add substantial health

benefits when considering the indirect protection that vaccinated

adolescents would provide to unvaccinated persons. "

Dr. Ortega- of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,

Atlanta and colleagues came to this conclusion after building a

probabilistic model for a 10-year period with or without a one-time

catch-up meningococcal vaccination program followed by 9 years of routine

vaccination of children at the age of 11 years.

US data were used to provide incidence and mortality input, and herd

immunity assumptions were guided by UK meningococcal vaccination experience.

With herd immunity and the catch-up approach, the team estimates that there

would be 8251 fewer cases of meningococcal disease (a 48% decrease) over 10

years. Excluding program costs, there would be savings of $551 million in

direct and $920 million in indirect costs.

At $83 per vaccinee, the catch-up vaccination would cost about $223,000 per

case averted and about $2.6 million per death prevented. This would amount

to around $127,000 per life-year saved, and about $88,000 per

quality-adjusted life-year saved.

However, targeting counties with a high incidence of disease, say the

investigators, would cut the cost per life-year saved by two-thirds.

The researchers note that the benefits of vaccination would largely be the

result of reduction of attacks in unvaccinated groups. This would account

for 81% of averted cases. The presence of herd immunity is thus critical.

Therefore, concluded Dr. Ortega-, " Future research should evaluate

the effects of vaccinating adolescents on the incidence of meningococcal

disease among unvaccinated persons. "

Clin Infect Dis 2008;46:1-12.

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Sheri Nakken, former R.N., MA, Hahnemannian Homeopath

Vaccination Information & Choice Network, Nevada City CA & Wales UK

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