Cost-effectiveness analysis of seasonal influenza vaccination during pregnancy: A systematic review

Zakieh Ostad-Ahmadi; Sara Boccalini; Amin Daemi; Alireza Mahboub-Ahari

doi:10.1016/j.tmaid.2023.102632

Cost-effectiveness analysis of seasonal influenza vaccination during pregnancy: A systematic review

Travel Med Infect Dis. 2023 Sep-Oct:55:102632. doi: 10.1016/j.tmaid.2023.102632. Epub 2023 Aug 15.

Authors

Zakieh Ostad-Ahmadi¹, Sara Boccalini², Amin Daemi³, Alireza Mahboub-Ahari⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Health Economics, School of Management and Medical Informatics, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran; Student Research Committee, Faculty of Management and Medical Information Sciences, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran. Electronic address: zakiostadahmadi@gmail.com.
² Department of Health Sciences, University of Florence, Florence, Italy.
³ Health Management and Economics Research Center, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
⁴ Department of Health Economics, School of Management and Medical Informatics, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran. Electronic address: mahboubahari@gmail.com.

PMID: 37591411
DOI: 10.1016/j.tmaid.2023.102632

Abstract

Background: Seasonal influenza vaccination is clinically important and reduces hospitalization costs for pregnant women. However, is it also a cost-effective intervention?

Method: We conducted a systematic search of Medline (via PUBMED), EMBASE, SCOPUS, and Web of Science databases. We included any economic evaluation studies that reported Incremental Cost-Effectiveness Ratios for vaccinating pregnant women against influenza.

Result: Out of 927 potentially eligible articles, only 14 full texts met our inclusion criteria. In almost all studies, vaccinating pregnant women was a cost-effective and cost-saving strategy. In one study, it was not cost-effective when the researchers used costs and probabilities related to other groups (healthy adults) due to the lack of data for pregnant women. The main factors influencing the cost-effectiveness of the studies were vaccine efficacy and vaccination cost.

Conclusion: Influenza vaccination of pregnant women is a cost-effective intervention. More studies on the cost-effectiveness of this intervention in underdeveloped countries are needed.

Keywords: cost-benefit; cost-effectiveness; cost-utility; influenza vaccine; pregnancy; women economic evaluation..