Pneumococcal Vaccination Cost Effective And Should Substantially Reduce Child Mortality

Routine vaccination of infants against Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus)* in the world’s poorest countries should substantially reduce childhood mortality and be cost effective according to an Article in this week’s issue of The Lancet.

Anushua Sinha (Department of Preventive Medicine and Community Health, University of Medicine & Dentistry of New Jersey, Newark, USA) and colleagues constructed a decision analysis model to generate global and country-specific information about the projected benefits, costs, and cost-effectiveness of pneumococcal vaccination of infants aged 6, 10, and 14 weeks in 72 countries that were eligible for Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (GAVI) support**.The researchers predicted that without pneumococcal vaccination there would be 3.8 million deaths of children aged 3 – 29 months yearly. Pneumococcal vaccination was projected to prevent 262 000 of these deaths (7%) and avert 8.3 million DALYs*** annually. If vaccination coverage rates in all 72 countries were 100%, 407 000 child deaths would be prevented every year. At a vaccine cost of International $5 per dose, vaccination would have a net cost of $838 million, a cost of $100 per DALY averted.The authors conclude: “The results of this analysis indicate the vaccine is highly cost effective on the basis of prevention of child mortality alone. Additional savings in medical costs from non-fatal illness, herd immunity, and from sustained protection beyond 29 months would improve the cost effectiveness even further.” (Source: The Lancet : University of Medicine & Dentistry of New Jersey : February 2007.)