Economic evaluation of influenza vaccination - Assessment for The Netherlands

Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the costs associate d with influenza and the cost effectiveness (net costs per life-year gained ) of influenza vaccination in The Netherlands. Design and setting: The economic evaluation comprised a cost-of-illness ass essment and a cost-effectiveness analysis, both of which were conducted fro m the healthcare perspective in The Netherlands. The modelling framework fo r the economic evaluation linked epidemiological aspects of influenza (e.g. incidence, mortality, years of life lost) to vaccination coverage and heal thcare resource use. Healthcare resource use was specified for hospitalisat ions, general practitioner visits and drugs. Intervention: The intervention assessed in the cost-effectiveness analysis was influenza vaccination. Main outcome measures and results: The costs of influenza were estimated to be 31 million euros (EUR) for the influenza season 1995/96 in The Netherla nds (EUR1 approximate to $US1.1). For the extended programme in 1997/98, i. e. all elderly people, the cost-effectiveness ratio was estimated at EUR182 0 per life-year gained. Subgroup analysis demonstrated that the programme h ad a more favourable cost effectiveness among the chronically ill elderly p opulation (cost saving) than among the rest of the elderly population (EUR6 900 per life-year gained). Conclusion: Influenza vaccination has a cost-effectiveness ratio that is be tter than or comparable to that of other implemented Dutch programmes in th e prevention of infectious diseases.