Economic impact of a rotavirus vaccination program in Mexico Impacto económico de un programa de vacunación contra rotavirus en México

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the cost and benefits of a national rotavirus childhood vaccination program in Mexico. METHODS: A decision-analysis model was designed to take the Mexican health care system's perspective on a comparison of two alternatives: to vaccinate against rotavirus or not. Using p...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Dagna Constenla, F. Raúl Velázquez, Richard D. Rheingans, Lynn Antil, Yolanda Cervantes
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Spanish
Portuguese
Published: Pan American Health Organization 2009
Subjects:
R
Online Access:https://doaj.org/article/b06e2b80cbae401395592b4f1e1af89e
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Summary:OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the cost and benefits of a national rotavirus childhood vaccination program in Mexico. METHODS: A decision-analysis model was designed to take the Mexican health care system's perspective on a comparison of two alternatives: to vaccinate against rotavirus or not. Using published, national data, estimations were calculated for the rotavirus illnesses, deaths, and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) that would be averted and the incremental costeffectiveness ratios (US$/DALY) of a hypothetical annual birth cohort of 2 285 000 children, with certain assumptions made for cost, coverage, and efficacy rates. RESULTS: With 93% coverage and a vaccine price of US$ 16 per course (2 doses), a rotavirus vaccination program in Mexico would prevent an estimated 651 deaths (or 0.28 deaths per 1 000 children); 13 833 hospitalizations (6.05 hospitalizations per 1 000 children); and 414 927 outpatient visits (182 outpatient visits per 1 000 children) for rotavirus-related acute gastroenteritis (AGE). Vaccination is likely to reduce the economic burden of rotavirus AGE in Mexico by averting US$ 14 million (71% of the overall health care burden). At a vaccine price of US$ 16 per course, the cost-effectiveness ratio would be US$ 1 139 per DALY averted. A reduction in the price of the rotavirus vaccination program (US$ 8 per course) would yield a lower incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of US$ 303 per DALY averted. CONCLUSIONS: A national rotavirus vaccination program in Mexico is projected to reduce childhood incidence and mortality and to be highly cost-effective based on the World Health Organization's thresholds for cost-effective interventions. OBJETIVOS: Evaluar el costo y los beneficios de un programa nacional de vacunación infantil contra el rotavirus en México. MÉTODOS: Se diseñó un modelo de análisis de decisión, desde la perspectiva del sistema de salud mexicano, para comparar dos alternativas: vacunar contra el rotavirus o no vacunar. A partir de datos nacionales publicados se estimó el número ...