Publication
Title
Cost-effectiveness of vaccination against herpes zoster in adults aged over 60 years in Belgium
Author
Abstract
Aim To assess the cost-effectiveness of vaccinating all or subgroups of adults aged 60 to 85 years against herpes zoster. Methods A deterministic compartmental static model was developed (in freeware R), in which cohorts can acquire herpes zoster according to their age in years. Surveys and database analyses were conducted to obtain as much as possible Belgian age-specific estimates for input parameters. Direct costs and Quality-Adjusted Life-Year (QALY) losses were estimated as a function of standardised Severity Of Illness (SOI) scores (i.e. as a function of the duration and severity of herpes zoster disease). Results Uncertainty about the average SOI score for a person with herpes zoster, the duration of protection from the vaccine, and the population that can benefit from the vaccine, exerts a major impact on the results: under assumptions least in favour of vaccination, vaccination is not cost-effective (i.e. incremental cost per QALY gained >48,000 for all ages considered) at the expected vaccine price of 90 per dose. At the same price, but under assumptions most in favour of vaccination, vaccination is found to be cost-effective (i.e. incremental cost per QALY gained <5500 for all ages considered). Vaccination of age cohort 60 seems more cost-effective than vaccination of any older age cohort in Belgium. Discussion If the vaccine price per dose drops to 45, HZ vaccination of adults aged 6064 years is likely to be cost-effective in Belgium, even under assumptions least in favour of vaccination. Unlike previous studies, our analysis acknowledged major methodological and model uncertainties simultaneously and presented outcomes for 26 different target ages at which vaccination can be considered (ages 6085).
Language
English
Source (journal)
Vaccine / International Society for Vaccines. - Amsterdam
Publication
Amsterdam : 2012
ISSN
0264-410X
DOI
10.1016/J.VACCINE.2011.10.036
Volume/pages
30 :3 (2012) , p. 675-684
ISI
000301812300022
Full text (Publisher's DOI)
Full text (publisher's version - intranet only)
UAntwerpen
Faculty/Department
Research group
Project info
Developing and optimizing stochastic individual-based infectious disease simulation models by parallel multicore computing techniques.
Publication type
Subject
Affiliation
Publications with a UAntwerp address
External links
Web of Science
Record
Identifier
Creation 22.03.2012
Last edited 09.10.2023
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