© 2000 Information Inc., Bethesda, MD. Brought to you by the National Network for
Immunization Information (NNii).
Visit NNii’s new website at http://www.immunizationinfo.org.
March 21, 2001
“Flu Shots for Healthy Adults May Save Money”
Reuters Health Information Services (www.reutershealth.com)
(03/20/01); McKinney, Merritt
A report in the March 12 issue of the Archives of Internal
Medicine suggests that widespread influenza vaccination of healthy working
adults, despite the fact that they may only have a minor chance of developing
severe complications of the flu, may be cost effective. Dr. Kristin L. Nichol of the University of Minnesota
in Minneapolis performed a cost-benefit analysis comparing the costs of
vaccination with the costs prevented by immunization. Nichol ultimately determined that about 12 missed workdays and
2.5 trips to the doctor’s office could be eliminated for every 100 healthy
workers who receive flu shots, a savings of approximately $14 per
individual. Commenting on the findings,
Dr. Carolyn Buxton Bridges of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
noted that any cost savings as a result of widespread vaccination would depend
on how well the vaccine matches the flu type in circulation during any given
season, the severity of flu outbreaks, and several other factors, and she
emphasized that vaccination efforts should remain focused on people at high
risk for complications.
ALL
INFORMATION, DATA, AND MATERIAL CONTAINED, PRESENTED, OR PROVIDED HERE IS FOR
GENERAL INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY AND IS NOT TO BE CONSTRUED AS REFLECTING THE
KNOWLEDGE OR OPINIONS OF THE PUBLISHER, AND IS NOT TO BE CONSTRUED OR INTENDED
AS PROVIDING MEDICAL OR LEGAL ADVICE. THE DECISION WHETHER OR NOT TO
VACCINATE IS AN IMPORTANT AND COMPLEX ISSUE AND SHOULD BE MADE BY YOU, AND YOU
ALONE, IN CONSULTATION WITH YOUR HEALTH CARE PROVIDER.