Post 01012E : HIB AND ROTAVIRUS VACCINATION

Post 01012E : HIB AND ROTAVIRUS VACCINATION 17 November 2006 ____________________________________ In Post 00987E the resume of an article discussed the effectiveness of Hib vaccine introduction into routine EPI in Kenya. The following link will lead you to a full article on the same topic, but in Malawi this time, to be published soon in "Vaccines". http://www.technet21.org/pdf_file/MalawiHibVac.pdf This article was also added to the list of background documents on our site : http://www.technet21.org/backgrounddocs.html If you visit the page and find any link not working, please inform TechNet. If you know any recent scientific article on any topic in the field of immunization that would add to our still short list of technical background information, please also inform TechNet and give precise references. There is a constraint though, it should be accessible electronically without any fee. ----------------------------- Below is the resume of an article on rotavirus immunization published in the Journal of Infectious Diseases. ----------------------------- Projected cost-effectiveness of rotavirus vaccination for children in Asia. By Podewils LJ, Antil L, Hummelman E, Bresee J, Parashar UD, Rheingans R. Respiratory and Enteric Viruses Branch, Division of Viral and Rickettsial Diseases, National Center for Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30333, USA. mailto:[email protected] BACKGROUND: New rotavirus vaccines may soon be licensed, and decisions regarding implementation of their use will likely be based on the health and economic benefits of vaccination. METHODS: We estimated the benefits and cost-effectiveness of rotavirus vaccination in Asia by using published estimates of rotavirus disease incidence, health care expenditures, vaccine coverage rates, and vaccine efficacy. RESULTS: Without a rotavirus vaccination program, it is estimated that 171,000 Asian children will die of rotavirus diarrhea, 1.9 million will be hospitalized, and 13.5 million will require an outpatient visit by the time the Asian birth cohort reaches 5 years of age. The medical costs associated with these events are approximately 191 million US dollars; however, the total burden would be higher with the inclusion of such societal costs as lost productivity. A universal rotavirus vaccination program could avert approximately 109,000 deaths, 1.4 million hospitalizations, and 7.7 million outpatient visits among these children. CONCLUSIONS: A rotavirus vaccine could be cost-effective, depending on the income level of the country, the price of the vaccine, and the cost-effectiveness standard that is used. Decisions regarding implementation of vaccine use should be based not only on whether the intervention provides a cost savings but, also, on the value of preventing rotavirus disease-associated morbidity and mortality, particularly in countries with a low income level (according to 2004 World Bank criteria for the classification of countries into income groups on the basis of per capita gross national income) where the disease burden is great. ______________________________________________________________________________ All members of the TechNet21 e-Forum are invited to send comments on any posting or to use the forum to raise a new discussion or request technical information in relation to immunization services. The comments made in this forum are the sole responsibility of the writers and do not in any way mean that they are endorsed by any of the organizations and agencies to which the authors may belong. ______________________________________________________________________________ Visit the TECHNET21 Website at http://www.technet21.org You will find instructions to subscribe, a direct access to archives, links to reference documents and other features. ______________________________________________________________________________ To UNSUBSCRIBE, send a message to : mailto:[email protected] Leave the subject area BLANK In the message body, write unsubscribe TECHNET21E ______________________________________________________________________________ The World Health Organization and UNICEF support TechNet21. The TechNet21 e-Forum is a communication/information tool for generation of ideas on how to improve immunization services. It is moderated by Claude Letarte and is hosted in cooperation with the Centre de coopération internationale en santé et développement, Québec, Canada (http://www.ccisd.org) ______________________________________________________________________________