COST OF TREATMENT AND PREVENTION OF HAEMOPHILUS-INFLUENZAE TYPE-B DISEASE - AN INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVE

On the basis of immunogenicity and protective efficacy studies, 4 Haem ophilus influenzae type b (Hib) conjugate vaccines have been licensed for administration to infants and children. Population based studies o f Hib disease from Australia, Chile, Finland, Gambia, Israel, Switzerl and, UK and US show that the relative and absolute incidence of Hib di sease varies significantly. These differences in Hib epidemiology, and associated sequelae and hospital costs affect the cost-benefit analys is of preventive vaccination, necessitating unique calculations for ea ch country. Published papers on the cost of Hib disease and the cost-b enefit relationship of Hib vaccination have been based primarily on re ports from the US, but more recently also on studies from Australia, F inland, Israel, Switzerland, UK, Sweden and Chile. All studies to date have produced favourable cost-benefit ratios. The implementation of H ib vaccination has led to the virtual disappearance of Hib disease in some of these countries. The lessons gained from these analyses are in structive not only for better understanding of the epidemiology of Hib disease, but also as a template for assessing the cost-benefit ratio of the implementation of preventive vaccination for other diseases.