| Summary: | Vaccines are among the most important medical discoveries ever made and are the cornerstone of public health interventions. Public health authorities must be attentive to the local epidemiology of infectious diseases and the benefits of changing the immunisation schedule and introducing new vaccines into the national immunisation programmes. The aims of the thesis were to assess whether changes and improvements are needed to the Icelandic national immunisation programme regarding immunisations against rotavirus, Neisseria meningitidis and influenza. The thesis is comprised of four studies. In study I, the disease burden of rotavirus in young children in Iceland was assessed, as well as the cost-effectiveness of including rotavirus vaccinations in the national immunisation programme in Iceland. A two-year prospective study was conducted. Children under the age of six attending a paediatric emergency department with acute gastroenteritis were recruited. Stool samples were collected from participants, as well as information about the total duration of symptoms, the need for treatment in the emergency department and for hospital admissions, the number of days parents missed from work etc. Parents were also asked about their opinion on rotavirus vaccinations. Study I showed that rotavirus is the most common virus causing acute gastroenteritis leading to emergency department visits in young children in Iceland. Rotavirus causes a significant disease burden on young children, their parents, and the health care system. A substantial loss of productivity is attributable to rotavirus acute gastroenteritis, leading to considerable societal costs. The addition of a rotavirus vaccine to the national immunisation programme would be cost-effective and most parents are in favour of it. We conclude that rotavirus vaccines should be added to the national immunisation programme. Study II assessed the prevalence of asymptomatic meningococcal carriage in children, adolescents and young adults in Iceland, the prevalence of ...
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