Health Economics

  • Optima TB: a tool to help optimally allocate tuberculosis spending

    Approximately 85% of tuberculosis (TB) related deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries where health resources are scarce. Effective priority setting is required to maximise the impact of limited budgets. The Optima TB tool has been developed to support analytical capacity and inform evidence-based priority setting processes for TB health benefits package design. This paper…

  • The cost of building an environmental surveillance system for typhoid

    Introduction The typhoid conjugate vaccine is a safe and effective method for preventing Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi (typhoid) and the WHO’s guidance supports its use in locations with ongoing transmission. However, many countries lack a robust clinical surveillance system, making it challenging to determine where to use the vaccine. Environmental surveillance is an alternative approach…

  • Cost-effectiveness of using environmental surveillance to target the roll-out typhoid conjugate vaccine

    Highlights • Environmental surveillance is an alternative to case-based surveillance. • Vaccine targeted to high-risk populations is less expensive than national campaigns. • Surveillance-based vaccine introductions are more cost-effective than blanket decisions. • Environmental surveillance is valuable, even if costs are higher than anticipated.

  • Modeling the economic impact of different vial-opening thresholds for measles-containing vaccines

    Introduction: The lack of specific policies on how many children must be present at a vaccinating location before a healthcare worker can open a measles-containing vaccine (MCV) – i.e. the vial-opening threshold – has led to inconsistent practices, which can have wide-ranging systems effects. Methods: Using HERMES-generated simulation models of the routine immunization supply chains…

  • Optimization of frequency and targeting of measles supplemental immunization activities in Nigeria: A cost-effectiveness analysis

    Background Measles causes significant childhood morbidity in Nigeria. Routine immunization (RI) coverage is around 40% country-wide, with very high levels of spatial heterogeneity (3–86%), with supplemental immunization activities (SIAs) at 2-year or 3-year intervals. We investigated cost savings and burden reduction that could be achieved by adjusting the inter-campaign interval by region. Methods We modeled…

  • The Cost Saving Opportunity of Introducing a Card Review into Measles-Containing Vaccination Campaigns

    Measles vaccination is a cost-effective way to prevent infection and reduce mortality and morbidity. However, in countries with fragile routine immunization infrastructure, coverage rates are still low and supplementary immunization campaigns (SIAs) are used to reach previously unvaccinated children. During campaigns, vaccine is generally administered to every child, regardless of their vaccination status and as…