Economic costs of outbreaks of acute viral gastroenteritis due to norovirus in Catalonia (Spain), 2010-2011.

BACKGROUND: To determine the direct and indirect costs of outbreaks of acute viral gastroenteritis (AVG) due to norovirus in closed institutions (hospitals, social health centers or nursing homes) and the community in Catalonia in 2010-11. METHODS: Information on outbreaks were gathered from the reports made by epidemiological surveillance units. Direct costs (medical visits, hospital stays, drug treatment, sample processing, transport, diagnostic tests, monitoring and control of the outbreaks investigated) and indirect costs (lost productivity due to work absenteeism, caregivers time and working hours lost due to medical visits) were calculated. RESULTS: Twenty-seven outbreaks affecting 816 people in closed institutions and 74 outbreaks affecting 1,940 people in the community were detected. The direct and indirect costs of outbreaks were € 131,997.36 (€ 4,888.79 per outbreak) in closed institutions and € 260,557.16 (€ 3,521.04 per outbreak) in community outbreaks. The cost per case was € 161.76 in outbreaks in closed institutions and € 134.31 in community outbreaks. The main costs were surveillance unit monitoring (€ 116,652.93), laboratory diagnoses (€ 119,950.95), transport of samples (€ 69,970.90), medical visits (€ 25,250.50) and hospitalization (€ 13,400.00). CONCLUSIONS: The cost of outbreaks of acute viral gastroenteritis due to norovirus obtained in this study was influenced by the number of people affected and the severity of the outbreak, which determined hospitalizations and work absenteeism. Urgent reporting of outbreaks would allow the implementation of control measures that could reduce the numbers affected and the duration of the illness and thus the costs derived from them.

Impact of the 13-Valent Conjugated Pneumococcal Vaccine on the Direct Costs of Invasive Pneumococcal Disease Requiring Hospital Admission in Children Aged < 5 Years: A Prospective Study.

The lack of invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) cost studies may underestimate the eect ofpneumococcal polysaccharide conjugated vaccines (PCV). The objective of this study was to estimatethe direct costs of hospitalized IPD cases. A prospective study was made in children aged <5 yearsdiagnosed with IPD in two high-tech hospitals in Catalonia (Spain) between 2007-2009 (PCV7 period)and 2012-2015 (PCV13 period). Costs were calculated according to 2014 Catalan Health Service ratesusing diagnostic-related groups. In total, 319 and 154 cases were collected, respectively. Pneumoniahad the highest cost (65.7% and 62.0%, respectively), followed by meningitis (25.8% and 26.1%,respectively). During 2007-2015, the costs associated with PCV7 serotypes (Pearson coecient (Pc) =?0.79; p = 0.036) and additional PCV13 serotypes (Pc = ?0.75; p = 0.05) decreased, but those of otherserotypes did not (Pc = 0.23 p = 0.62). The total mean cost of IPD increased in the PCV13 period by31.4% (¿3016.1 vs. ¿3963.9), mainly due to ICU stay (77.4%; ¿1051.4 vs. ¿1865.6). During the PCV13period, direct IPD costs decreased due to a reduction in the number of cases, but cases were more severe and had a higher mean cost. During 2015, IPD costs increased due to an increase in the costsassociated with non-PCV13 serotypes and serotype 3 and this requires further investigation.

Reduction of Direct Health Costs Associated with Pertussis Vaccination with Acellular Vaccines in Children Aged 0-9 Years with Pertussis in Catalonia (Spain).

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to assess direct health costs in children with pertussis aged 0-9 years who were vaccinated, partially vaccinated, and unvaccinated during childhood, and to assess the association between pertussis costs and pertussis vaccination in Catalonia (Spain) in 2012-2013. METHODS: Direct healthcare costs included pertussis treatment, pertussis detection, and preventive chemotherapy of contacts. Pertussis patients were considered vaccinated when they had received 4-5 doses, and unvaccinated or partially vaccinated when they had received 0-3 doses of vaccine. The Chi square test and the odds ratios were used to compare percentages and the t test was used to compare mean pertussis costs in different groups, considering a p < 0.05 as statistically significant. The correlation between pertussis costs and study variables was assessed using the Spearman's ρ, with a p < 0.05 as statistically significant. Multiple linear regression analysis (IBM-SPSS program) was used to quantify the association of pertussis vaccination and other study variables with pertussis costs. RESULTS: Vaccinated children with pertussis aged 0-9 years had significantly lower odds ratios of hospitalizations (OR 0.02, p < 0.001), laboratory confirmation (OR 0.21, p < 0.001), and severe disease (OR 0.02, p < 0.001) than unvaccinated or partially vaccinated children with pertussis of the same age. Mean direct healthcare costs were significantly lower (p < 0.001) in vaccinated patients (€190.6) than in unvaccinated patients (€3550.8), partially vaccinated patients (€1116.9), and unvaccinated/partially vaccinated patients (€2330). Multivariable linear regression analysis showed that pertussis vaccination with 4-5 doses was associated with a non-significant reduction of pertussis costs of €107.9 per case after taking into account the effect of other study variables, and €200 per case after taking into account pertussis severity. CONCLUSIONS: Direct healthcare costs were lower in children with pertussis aged 0-9 years vaccinated with 4-5 doses of acellular vaccines than in unvaccinated or partially vaccinated children with pertussis of the same age.

Costs associated with influenza-related hospitalization in the elderly.

Seasonal influenza epidemics remain a considerable burden in adults, especially in those at higher risk of complications. The aim of this study was to determine the costs associated with influenza-related hospitalization in patients aged ≥65 y admitted to 20 hospitals from 7 Spanish regions during the 2013-14 and 2014-15 influenza seasons. Bivariate analysis was used to compare costs in vaccinated and unvaccinated cases. Costs were calculated according to the Spanish National Health System diagnosis-related group tables for influenza and other respiratory system conditions (GRD 89 and GRD 101). A total of 728 confirmed influenza cases were recorded: 52.9% were male, 46.7% were aged 75-84 years, and 49.3% received influenza vaccine ≥15 d prior to hospital admission. Influenza-related mean hospitalization costs (MHC) were € 1,184,808 in unvaccinated and € 1,152,333 in vaccinated cases (2.75% lower). Influenza vaccination showed significant protection against ICU admission (OR 0.35, 95%CI 0.21-0.59; p < 0001); mechanical ventilation (OR 0.56, 95%CI 0.39-0.80; p = 0.002); secondary bacterial pneumonia (OR 0.61, 95%CI 0.39-0.98; p = 0.04) and a higher degree of dependence (OR 0.74, 95%CI 0.55-0.99; p = 0.04). No association was observed for the Charlson comorbidity index or the mean hospital stay. Although influenza vaccination of the elderly may not achieve significant savings in mean hospitalization costs, it may lessen the degree of severity and avoid complications.

Economic benefits of inactivated influenza vaccines in the prevention of seasonal influenza in children.

The aim of this study was to systematically review published studies that evaluated the efficiency of inactivated influenza vaccination in preventing seasonal influenza in children. The vaccine evaluated was the influenza-inactivated vaccine in 10 studies and the virosomal inactivated vaccine in 3 studies. The results show that yearly vaccination of children with the inactivated influenza vaccine saves money from the societal and family perspectives but not from the public or private provider perspective. When vaccination does not save money, the cost-effectiveness ratios were very acceptable. It can be concluded, that inactivated influenza vaccination of children is a very efficient intervention.

[Economic evaluation of public health interventions]. / Evaluación económica de intervenciones de salud pública.

The scarcity of resources available to meet the growing demand for healthcare services has increased interest in economic evaluation as a tool to inform resource allocation. The aim of economic evaluation is to compare various alternatives for action, in terms of their costs and effects on health, by using several techniques: cost minimization analysis, cost-effectiveness analysis, cost-utility analysis, and cost-benefit analysis. Irrespective of the methodology used, any assessment must include scope of the problem, selection of alternatives for comparison, explication of the perspective of analysis and the time horizon, measurement and evaluation of costs and health effects, presentation of results, and sensitivity analysis. In Spain, evaluation of currently ongoing preventive interventions, and adherence to the existing economic evaluation guidelines by researchers would be desirable.

Non-preventable mumps outbreaks in schoolchildren in Catalonia.

Various doses of the combined MMR vaccine containing the Rubini mumps strain were distributed in Catalonia in 1994 and 1995. We studied outbreaks of mumps reported from 1997 to 2002 to determine the possible involvement of this vaccine in the appearance of non-preventable mumps outbreaks. A total of 17 mumps outbreaks were declared in the period 1997-2000, 14 of which were in schoolchildren. In 11, it was determined that children were correctly vaccinated. Of these, 10 were non-preventable outbreaks. 66% of cases investigated had ages which coincided with vaccination in the period 1994-1996, during which the MMR vaccine containing the Rubini mumps strain was administered. In Catalonia, during the period 1997-2000, at least two-thirds of mumps cases in schoolchildren could be explained by vaccination with the combined MMR vaccine containing the Rubini strain, which has also been associated with mumps outbreaks amongst vaccinated people in other countries.