Cost-effectiveness analysis of seasonal influenza vaccination during pregnancy: A systematic review

• Published in: Travel Medicine and Infectious Disease
• Main Authors: Zakieh Ostad-Ahmadi, Sara Boccalini, Amin Daemi, Alireza Mahboub-Ahari
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier 2023
• Subjects: Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine; RC955-962; Infectious and parasitic diseases; RC109-216; Arctic
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tmaid.2023.102632; https://doaj.org/article/7e0514f336004d79bfbfd2bf6e2385ee

Background: Seasonal influenza vaccination is clinically important and reduces hospitalization costs for pregnant women. However, is it also a cost-effective intervention? Method: We conducted a systematic search of Medline (via PUBMED), EMBASE, SCOPUS, and Web of Science databases. We included any economic evaluation studies that reported Incremental Cost-Effectiveness Ratios for vaccinating pregnant women against influenza. Result: Out of 927 potentially eligible articles, only 14 full texts met our inclusion criteria. In almost all studies, vaccinating pregnant women was a cost-effective and cost-saving strategy. In one study, it was not cost-effective when the researchers used costs and probabilities related to other groups (healthy adults) due to the lack of data for pregnant women. The main factors influencing the cost-effectiveness of the studies were vaccine efficacy and vaccination cost. Conclusion: Influenza vaccination of pregnant women is a cost-effective intervention. More studies on the cost-effectiveness of this intervention in underdeveloped countries are needed. Keywords: pregnancy, cost-effectiveness, cost-utility, cost-benefit, influenza vaccine, women, economic evaluation.