COST-EFFECTIVENESS OF ROTAVIRUS IMMUNIZATION IN VIETNAM- EXPLORING IMPACTS OF HERD IMMUNITY AND PATTERNS OF BREASTFEEDINGOF
Author(s)
Tu HAT1, Coyte P2, Li SC3, Postma MJ41University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, 2University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada, 3University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia, 4University of Groningen, Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
OBJECTIVES: : Rotavirus is the most common cause of severe diarrhoea worldwide. This study was designed to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of rotavirus immunization in Vietnam taking into account herd immunity and patterns of breastfeeding. The affordability of implementing universal rotavirus immunization was assessed based on both GAVI-subsidized and market vaccine prices for the next 5 years from the perspective of the Vietnamese healthcare system. METHODS: An age-structured birth cohort model for Vietnam was developed to compare two strategies of no vaccination and universal rotavirus vaccination in 2011. A lifetime time horizon was used with monthly time cycles for those under one year and annually thereafter. The analysis was performed under three breastfeeding scenarios: 1) 100% exclusive breastfeeding for children under 6 months; 2) 100% partial breastfeeding, and 3) 100% no breastfeeding. Herd immunity was explored in all scenarios. Monte Carlo simulations were used to examine the acceptability and affordability of the immunization strategy. RESULTS: Rotavirus immunization would effectively reduce severe cases of rotavirus during the first 5 years of life. Herd immunity makes rotavirus vaccination a cost-saving strategy under the GAVI-subsidized vaccine price in the case of partial breastfeeding and a cost-effective strategy in all breastfeeding scenarios under the market vaccine price. Affordability results showed that at the GAVI-subsidized vaccine price, rotavirus vaccination is affordable. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study in developing countries considering herd immunity under rotavirus vaccination. If the indirect effect were considered, vaccination would become a cost-saving strategy. Given the high mortality rate of diarrhea in children under-five-years of age, our findings show rotavirus immunization to be an effective and “must-do” prevention strategy. Vaccination, however, only becomes affordable if Vietnam receives GAVI’s financial support. In the next five years, Vietnam will need financial support from international organizations to implement rotavirus vaccination.
Conference/Value in Health Info
2012-09, ISPOR Asia Pacific 2012, Taipei, Taiwan
Value in Health, Vol. 15, No. 7 (November 2012)
Code
PIH6
Topic
Economic Evaluation
Topic Subcategory
Cost-comparison, Effectiveness, Utility, Benefit Analysis
Disease
Infectious Disease (non-vaccine), Pediatrics, Vaccines