Economic aspects of a general vaccination against invasive disease caused by Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) via the experience of the Children's Hospital La Fe, Valencia, Spain.

With the aim of studying whether a general vaccination against invasive disease caused by Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) is economically profitable bearing in mind the efficacy and safety of the vaccine, its price and the global cost that this disease has in our area, a review is conducted of patients admitted due to invasive disease caused by Hib in the Children's Hospital La Fe, Valencia, born between 1984 and 1993. They total 100, 63 who have meningitis. In the 81 cases (56 with meningitis) born between 1984 and 1990 (years that can be regarded as "closed" since all the patients were younger than 5 years of age) the total cost has been calculated for hospitalization, care during the acute phase, care for the sequelae (6 severe and 7 mild) and death (5 cases). The mean annual cost of care can be calculated at 62 million pesetas, without making an economic valuation of the loss of life, and at 205 million pesetas taking this factor into account. The annual cost of vaccinating the 7000 babies under one year of age and falling within the Hospital's catchment area, on the basis of a vaccination pattern of three doses (at 2, 4 and 6 months) or four doses (at 2, 4, 6 and 15 months) would amount to 63 or 84 million pesetas, normal price to public (not covered by National Health Service), and 40 or 51 million pesetas if acquired by National Health Service. As a conclusion we can state that, even from the economic point of view, without quantifying the cost of the loss of life, a public general anti-Hib vaccination would be profitable in our area since it would mean an administration cost lower than that of the care required by patients. This is without taking into account the fact that emotional, family and social serious disturbances would also be avoided due to hospitalization, sequelae and deaths caused by a disease which is today perfectly preventable.