OBJECTIVES:

Immunisation is a successful global health intervention that has resulted in many diseases now being vaccine preventable. The leading vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs) are influenza, herpes zoster (HZ), and pneumococcal disease. Low vaccine coverage in the elderly persists in France, with the highest coverage seen in influenza with an uptake rate among adults aged ≥65 years at 49.8%. The objective of this study was to evaluate the cost of illness (COI) and inform the economic burden of these three most prevalent VPDs among people aged ≥65 years in France.

METHODS:

A cost calculator was developed to evaluate the economic burden of medically attended visits associated with each VPD from a French payer perspective. A time horizon of 1-year was used due to the acute nature of the VPDs being assessed. Population inputs were informed by INSEE. Outpatient incidence data for influenza was collected using lab-confirmed cases, and inpatient incidence from Influenza-related excess respiratory hospitalisations. Surveillance data and the literature was used to inform incidence for HZ and Pneumococcal disease. Cost per general practitioner (GP) visit and inpatient stay was taken from the literature and inflated to 2020 values.

RESULTS:

The greatest epidemiological and economic burden was associated with influenza with 162,349 medically attended visits, resulting in € 133,898,190 in costs. In contrast, pneumococcal disease and HZ had fewer medically attended visits (41,914 and 129,893 respectively) and lower costs (€ 97,842,453 and € 37,716,629, respectively). Inpatient costs made up most of the total costs associated with both influenza and pneumococcal disease for all age groups.

CONCLUSIONS:

Despite accounting for confirmed cases over all influenza-like medical visits, conservative estimates demonstrate influenza to be the leading cause of VPDs in the elderly, among other diseases that could be prevented by an increase in immunisation, where uptake in France is suboptimal.